


Revenge Is A Dish Best Served Cold

by SterekShipper



Series: Cursed Theo [4]
Category: teen wolf - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt Theo Raeken, M/M, POV Alternating, emerging relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-17 17:22:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 37
Words: 41,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29354136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SterekShipper/pseuds/SterekShipper
Summary: Never mess with Theo or those who care about him. Malia was about to learn that the hard way.
Relationships: Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken, Scott McCall/Malia Tate
Series: Cursed Theo [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1941367
Comments: 329
Kudos: 52





	1. Malia

**Author's Note:**

> I’m back! 😁 Here is the first chapter. I hope y’all like it. 🤞😁

Why did her head hurt?  
It was as though she’d been in a fight recently.  
What could have caused such- okay, no. Was it a headache? How did she have a headache?  
Blinking her eyes open, she took in her surroundings... or she would have, if she weren’t blinded by the unexpected light. It shouldn’t be this bright. It was late. It should be getting dark. Trying again, she managed to squint until her eyes adjusted. When her vision cleared, a room came into view. Not any room. Scott’s room.  
How was she...?

“You’re awake.”  
Wait, Scott was here? She didn’t sense anything though. “How did we get here? We were just-”  
“That was yesterday, Malia.”  
She can’t have heard that right. How could she have missed the past several hours? It wasn’t possible. That couldn’t just happen. Sitting up, she ignored the swaying motion she felt, instead choosing to focus on answers.  
“What is going on?”  
Scott seemed hesitant to say anything. It was like someone had died. Wait, _had_ someone died?  
“Malia...”

“Just tell me, Scott.” Nothing made sense. Somehow, she’d forgotten an entire day and apparently, slept for half of it. She didn’t remember coming to Scott’s, or the fact he was in the same room as her. There had been no sign of his presence. Nothing to signal she wasn’t alone. Headache or not, (which she shouldn’t even have), she should have heard Scott’s heartbeat, but she didn’t. In fact, she still couldn’t hear it.

Do you think she received an answer? No. Instead, all her question earned was an uncertain gaze. If there was one thing she couldn’t stand more than anything else, it was being kept in the dark. No one treats her like a damsel in distress.  
“Scott! What is going on?!”

At the tired sigh her outburst elicited, she was ready to snap, until Scott spoke.  
“There’s no easy way to say this, but... you’re cursed.”  
Silence. Absolute silence. Everything became a blur underneath her anger. She was last point of being mad. No, it was more than that. Right now, she was downright seething. The night before came flooding back, as vivid as if it had just happened. The hunters, the warehouse, Theo... _Belladonna_. That _witch_. She was going to kill her. There was no way she was going to stand by and take this. No one curses her and gets away with it.

She knew what the curse, or _curses_ were. Standing up, it was confirmed by Scott towering over her. It was confirmed by her lack of hearing. The rest fell into place on its own.  
“Malia...”  
Scott stood between her and the door. He stood between her and the bathroom mirror. He stood between her and the final confirmation she needed.  
“Move.”  
“Malia, please-”  
“Get out of my way, Scott.”  
Nothing. Her gaze narrowed at the sympathy in his eyes. The _pity_. She didn’t need it. She didn’t _want_ it.

“I won’t say it again, Scott. Let me through.”  
He still wasn’t convinced. She could see it in that open look, those honest eyes. He thought it was better this way. Well, she didn’t agree. She would find out one way or another, so it may as well be now.  
“I don’t think you should-”  
“I don’t care! Let. Me. Through.” She was seething, and that was not a state you wanted to mess with. It was a mistake to push her on a good day, but now... she _wasn’t_ in the mood.

Sighing yet again, Scott finally stepped aside and within seconds of opening the door, she froze. She’d known. Of course, she’d known. It was obvious. Remembering the previous night told her everything she needed to know, but that didn’t change the fact she could see the reflection.

Not hers, but that of a nine-year-old boy. It went without saying she was human; it was the only explanation. If those were true, that meant the other curses were as well. She was going to _kill_ Belladonna.

“I’m going to rip her head off.” She might be human, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t growl. That witch would regret crossing her.  
“You need to calm down, Malia.”  
“Calm down?! Look at me, Scott!” It was a ridiculous request. It was beyond unreasonable. Given the situation, her anger was justified.

“If you’ll just listen-”  
“I’m not interested in listening, Scott. I don’t want to _talk_ about it. I _want_ to find her and _rip her head off_.”  
“That’s not going to happen.”  
True Alpha. We don’t kill. She knew the spiel and usually, she would adhere to that rule, but not this time. This time she was past the point of peace. There was no peace. Not when Belladonna had made such a dire mistake.  
“I will make her pay for this.”  
“Please, just think about this-”  
“There’s nothing to consider, Scott. That witch messed with the wrong person. Where is she?”  
“Malia-”

“Where is she?!” She was through waiting. She needed to move, to track her down.  
“Even if I knew, I wouldn’t tell you.” Scott could be so matter-of-fact when he wanted to be. He was unshakable in his decisions, when it came to his beliefs. It was one of the reasons she loved him, but right now, it was in her way.  
“Give me her number.”  
“No.”  
“ _Scott_.”  
“I am not helping you kill someone.” There was no reasoning with Scott. Not when it came to this.

“I’ll find her with or without you.”  
“Right, and how do you plan on beating her?”  
“I’ll find a way!” She was _through_ being told what she could or couldn’t do.  
How many times was Scott going to sigh?  
“You can’t keep attacking everyone, Malia. That’s why you were cursed.”  
“This is _Theo’s_ fault.” Was she snarling? Yes. She couldn’t care less.  
“No, it’s not.”  
“Don’t sound so unimpressed, Scott. We wouldn’t be here, if it weren’t for Theo.” That little shit was going to pay, as well. “He told her to do it. We’ve all seen how close they are. This was his idea.”

“Malia, Theo tried to stop Belladonna. He begged her not to go through with it,but she wouldn’t listen.”  
“Do you think I’m _stupid_ , Scott? You’re protecting a monster!”  
“That’s enough.” She was momentarily shocked into silence, because Scott never snapped. Of course, he’d been angry and worked up before, but never like this. “I don’t want to hear it. This is not on Theo. It’s on you.”  
Just like that, her anger was back. She was furious at the injustice. “How can you take his side?!”

“I took _your_ side. I took your side every time you insulted Theo. I took your side every time you harassed him. I took your side, every _single_ time.”  
She would have responded, were it not for the fact, Scott didn’t stop there. Oh, no. He was just getting started.  
“Yes, I asked you to stop, but I should have done more. I should have _made_ you stop.” Once again, she couldn’t get a word in, before Scott continued. “Theo didn’t deserve any of what you put him through.”

“He’s a _murderer_ , Scott!”  
“So are half the Pack.”  
Scott was not comparing the rest of them to Theo? She would not allow it. “They’re different.”  
“ _No_ , they’re not.” Scott emphasised his refusal to give in. Neither one of them were prepared to back down. “Theo isn’t the first. We accepted everyone else. We gave _everyone_ a second chance. Everyone except Theo.”  
“He doesn’t deserve one. Liam never should have freed Theo. He should be rotting in hell, where he belongs.”

“How can you say that?” Scott sounded appalled. She would never understand how anyone could defend Theo. She, for one, would not be dragged into the madness. “Look at what Theo’s done for us. _All_ of us.”  
“He’s _playing_ you, Scott! Don’t you see? It’s all an act! That monster wouldn’t know true help, if it bit him. The only thing Theo’s good for is destruction.” This was the most spiteful she’d been in a long time.  
“That’s not-”  
“Don’t deny it! Theo is going to try to destroy the Pack. It’s only a matter of time.” She wouldn’t let him. “We need to destroy him first.”

“What do you propose we do?” Scott was tired and frustrated, but she didn’t care, right now. This was too important. Too urgent.  
“We send him back.” Matter-of-fact. Scott looked at her, eyes wide and mouth open, as if she were being cold and emotionless. You know what? Maybe she was, but Theo deserved it for everything he had done. She did not feel sorry for him. She would _never_ feel sorry for him.  
“No!”  
“He shouldn’t have been freed in the first place.”  
“We are _not_ sending him back to hell!”   
“He deserves it! Theo _deserves_ to suffer! He killed his sister! He killed Josh and Tracey! He killed half the Pack, including _you_! Let him _rot_ down there!”

“Okay, that’s it. I can’t do this anymore.” Scott’s expression hardened, and she had never seen him so closed off.  
“Can’t do what?”  
“I won’t stand here and listen to you abuse Theo. Not after everything he’s done for the Pack. Belladonna cursed you to teach you a lesson, and it’s one you need to learn on your own.”  
“You’re not serious?” Scott couldn’t be. He wouldn’t... No, Scott wouldn’t leave someone like this. He wouldn’t leave her _like_ this. It’s also the reason Theo was able to lie so effectively. Scott was too caring for his own good.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t help you. You can stay here, but that’s all I’ll do.” With that, Scott simply turned around, determined to leave. Just like that, he was prepared to walk out. He was prepared to go back downstairs, without another word or attempt to fix this.  
“Scott!”  
She waited as Scott stopped at the door, only to turn around and say, “There’s one more thing you should know.”

That was never a good way to start a conversation.  
“What?” It was slow, and her eyes narrowed in anticipation.  
“Belladonna won’t change you back. Not unless both Theo and Liam agree.”  
They have to... oh, you’ve got to be kidding!  
“What?!” It could be described as nothing less than a screech. This was ridiculous! She would not be put in this position. She would _not_ be made to rely on _anyone_ , let alone _Theo_. She would _not_ allow her freedom to depend on that monster or Liam, who for some unknown reason was friends with Theo.  
Scott didn’t respond. No, he just walked out, as though that piece of information had never occurred.

She was pissed, and everyone would regret their part in this. Just wait and see. This was going to end bloody.


	2. Theo

He’d spent a week at Liam’s, just trying to regain a semblance of control. It didn’t matter how small it was; not at the time. All he cared about was feeling safe again. As little as his earlier comfort had been, it was still there. He had Liam. He had their friendship. He had the visits to Liam’s house, and the surprise overnight stays in between curses. Now, though, it all seemed to be falling apart.

What had previously comforted him, left him numb. The solace he’d found in those four walls, left him wanting more. All he wanted was to stay. To be safe and have a family, again. All he wanted was to not have to be woken by deputies every night. To not be woken by the endless nightmares.The only comfort that remained was Liam. Nothing could come between them, in fact, his feelings were as strong as ever and growing. It left him overwhelmed.

He needed something to hold on to. He needed a sense of hope, as much as he didn’t like relying on the concept. It was all he had, now though. He felt scared all the time, and he couldn’t stand it. The constant guard, watching his surroundings with a greater vigilance than ever before... it wore him down.

At the same time, he couldn’t begin to process his feelings for Liam. What was he supposed to do? It’s not like he could tell the beta, and he couldn’t just keep ignoring them. It had already proved impossible. Every day, he witnessed another reason to love Liam, and it strengthened his ever present panic.  
So, in short, he’d spent a week looking for a sense of normality, only to be reminded that didn’t exist. Not for him. Despite that, he couldn’t find it in him to leave. He didn’t want to go back to the cold, the heartless knocking, the quiet... the loneliness.

He couldn’t bring himself to go back, and Liam didn’t force him to. Liam had remained true to his word. He had been allowed to stay for as long as he wanted; as long as it took for him to feel comfortable going home. Not that he’d ever feel that comfortable. It’s for that reason, he found himself in the guest room, a week after the events at the warehouse.

The nightmares didn’t stop. It wasn’t even limited to when he slept, anymore. No, now he saw the hunter and his own claws suspended above Stiles, _every time_ he closed his eyes. If he so much as blinked, the images came flooding back. The only reason he hadn’t broken down completely, was that Liam was there. Every time, every flashback, Liam was there to pull him back. To remind him he was safe. That he wasn’t trapped or a hostage. He was no longer under anyone’s control.

He made himself a promise that day, and he had every intention of keeping it. He promised himself that he would never do anything to hurt the Pack again. Just because he was forced to live in his truck, and unable to be completely honest with them, he wouldn’t let anything hurt them. Not if he could help it.

That included Malia. He knew what it was like to be in her position, and even though he hadn’t seen her, he felt for her. He really wished Belladonna hadn’t gone through with the curse. Thinking about it, he didn’t know _exactly_ what Malia was feeling. He may have experienced the same curses, but he didn’t have to face all of them at the same time. He didn’t want to know what that was like.

No one had seen her since that day. No one except Scott, who from what Liam had told him, refused to help. To think that _Scott_ , of all people, had refused to help _anyone_ , let alone _Malia_ , had come as a shock, to say the least. What could have possibly happened to cause such an impossibility to actually take place?  
Liam hadn’t known _why_ , and nor had anyone else, for that matter. Scott had kept quiet on the cause, and refused to give any insight into what Malia had done. It had to have been bad, and considering Malia’s history, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

She had been staying at Scott’s ever since, so she wouldn’t be unprotected. Not breaking the curse, didn’t mean she’d be put in harm’s way. The problem was, he just knew she would blame him. He’d known as much from the moment Belladonna first proposed cursing Malia. There was no way she didn’t think this was his fault, and human or not, she wasn’t someone to mess with. He didn’t want to know what she might do, if he ran into her. Sadly, he might have to. After all, Belladonna wouldn’t reverse it without both his and Liam’s agreement.

Whilst he would be willing to give Malia her freedom, Liam might not feel the same. There would be no changing Liam’s mind on this. If the beta didn’t want to let her have that peace of mind, then that would be it. No one, not even himself, could convince Liam.


	3. Malia

This ends now. Whether Scott helped or not, it ends now. She refused to sit around and waste more time. A week was too long already, and she knew what to do. All she had to do was find Bellladonna, and she would _make_ her turn her back. If that witch thought turning her human would stop her, then she’d show Belladonna how wrong she was.

Let’s see how Belladonna likes having a human ‘child’ beat her. It didn’t take much to find the answer. She knew how to convince the witch to willingly remove the curse. What better way, than to use the very chimera she’d claimed to avenge?

Either Belladonna fixed her, or she’d take it out on Theo.


	4. Theo

Today had been avoid day. For the first time in a while, he felt somewhat at peace. Strange as it was to say, he felt like he actually belonged. It was as if someone truely wanted him around, and it wasn’t only Liam. Jenna and David had done everything in their power, to make him feel at home. They’d practically waited on him hand and foot.

It never went too far, though. He still had his space. He had time to be alone, as well as with Liam. Not once did he feel like he was trapped or under a microscope. It was perfect, and right now, he didn’t want it to stop. Not once did he try to talk himself out of this. If the universe wanted to offer him some happiness, then who was he to turn it down?

“Hey, Theo.”  
He’d been lying in his room, just resting on the unfairly soft bed, when Liam walked in. The way his heart fluttered at the sight of those blue eyes, no longer scared him. It no longer made him want to run. It was perfectly reasonable for him to fall for the beta. After all they’d been through, every time Liam had come through for him, why wouldn’t he?  
Having experienced a life as difficult as his, he’d quickly become used to being on his own.

He had to count on himself for survival. It was the only way. But here, in this room, with this family, he was beginning to see there was another way. Another plan. He knew now, that without a doubt, he could count on Liam to be there. No matter what. Sure, it had been obvious for a while, and yea, he’d admitted as much to himself. This was just the first time, he’d allowed himself to believe. To believe in the possibility that he could actually be happy. For once.

“Mum wants to know if you’d like to go out for dinner? She said you could pick the place.”  
He couldn’t suppress the smile that surfaced at hearing those words. Nor did he want to. It was amazing how easily Jenna and David, had taken to involving him in family decisions. He would do anything for them, just as he would for Liam. That would never change.  
“If I say yes, do I get to see that pout of yours?”  
“Why would I pout over you coming?” Liam was adorably confused. Eyes narrowed, mouth slightly open, a conscious light in the beautiful blue. It was quite a sight.

“You will, when you hear my choice.”  
The reaction was instant. Liam’s lips shifted and fell into that familiar frown, before the bottom lip could be seen to jut forward. It had taken seconds to see the very pout he’d been talking about, and oh, was it worth it.  
“Seriously, Theo? Again?”  
“What? I like it.”  
“You would, it’s the perfect place for someone of your self importance.”  
“Excuse me?” That had him laughing. “Have you looked in the mirror lately?”

“Don’t test me, Theo.”  
“How are you going to stop me?” This was always fun. Seeing how far he could push Liam. It never turned cruel, though. It was only ever in the spirit of friendship. They respected each other’s limits.  
“Maybe I’ll just remind you of a certain image I saw.”  
Liam had a way of talking around the point, in order to both draw you in and confuse you, at the same time. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, you know. When I saw you in your room, and you were, let’s say performing.”  
He couldn’t fight the blush threatening to surface. Within seconds, his face and ears were red. There was only one thing Liam could be referring to.  
“You promised you’d never bring that up.”  
“Don’t push me, and I won’t.”  
“A restaurant and that day are not the same.”  
“Need I mention a particular dance step?”  
His eyes narrowed, as the heat flared underneath his skin. He would never get used to his newfound habit of blushing. “Don’t you dare.”

Liam just smiled. Seemingly pleased with the accomplishment. Seemingly sure of victory. Well, this wasn’t over yet.  
“You want to play, fine. Let’s play. Maybe you can recall the time I saw a certain photo of you.”  
There it was. The equivalent of his own blush, only this time it was Liam. For a moment, he didn’t know what to say. He lost all sense of time and reason. All he knew was that adorable redness covering Liam’s face.  
Liam knew _exactly_ what photo he was referring to.

“You ass. I told you to pretend that never happened.”  
“Aw, don’t like when someone else joins in? Don’t start a fight, you can’t win, Liam.” He couldn’t stop smiling. Neither one of them were truely upset or mad. We’re they embarrassed? Of course. Who wouldn’t after being seen in those situations? He, for one, wasn’t proud of being caught. Sure, _maybe_ it was only dancing, but he wasn’t particularly good.

Okay, let’s be honest. He was terrible. To make it worse, he was especially uncoordinated the day Liam walked in. Why, you may ask? He blames ‘Closer’. Tatum Lynn was a tremendous singer, and that particular song... he just couldn’t get enough. It brought out an energy no other song did, and he _might_ have gone a little overboard that day.

“I still can’t believe Mason showed you that.” The pout was back. Liam had crossed his arms, and the whole scene was adorable.  
“I’m pretty sure that’s what best friends do, Liam.”  
“They’re not supposed to embarrass you!”  
“Have you met any of the Pack? Just look at Scott and Stiles.”  
“Okay, Stiles is not a representative of friendship. Oh, and Scott doesn’t embarrass Stiles.”

So, he snorted. Sue him. It was hilarious.  
“Trust me, Liam. Scott does.”  
“You realise who were talking about, right?”  
“Yes, Liam. I do. Look, I know you’re close, but you didn’t know them in fourth grade. I did, and I’m telling you, Scott embarrassed Stiles.”  
“Well, he’s changed, then. He wouldn’t do that, now.”  
“Maybe not intentionally, but he still has.”  
“How could you possibly know that?” Liam didn’t like being left out. Especially in regards to the Pack.

“Easy. Stiles told me.” A small smile rose, softening his expression. It was nice to be on good terms with both Scott and Stiles, again. He’d missed their friendship. Yes, he’d manipulated that same friendship to get what he wanted with the Dread Doctors, but it was different now. Ever since he’d come back from hell, he’d wanted nothing more than to be a part of the a pack. Genuinely, this time. He wanted to be friends with Scott and Stiles. He wanted to be accepted, to be needed... to be _wanted_.

He didn’t know if it would ever be the same as fourth grade, but he’d take what he could get. He might not be Pack, (and he understood, he did), but at least he could say he had friends.  
The sound of Jenna’s pointed ‘hurry up, boys’, was enough to put that conversation on hold. As they made their way downstairs, he thanked whatever greater force was out there. Atheist or not, he knew there had to be something allowing him the luxury of being a part of Liam’s world.


	5. Scott

He should have known. He should have been more careful. All he’d done was sleep, but he _should have known_. After everything the Pack had been through over the past several months, particularly the last few weeks, he’d been tired. Too tired to stay awake.  
He should have seen the signs. He should have realised _something_ had changed. He should have _listened_. To the cues. To his instincts. To every inch of his body _screaming_ that something was wrong. It was all right there, open for anyone to see if they’d just looked. If _he_ had just looked... but he was just _so_ tired.

That’s why he was now rushing downstairs, barely locking the door before he was in the car and on the street. He had to get there. He may already be too late. He should have known. _He should have known_. The irony was, he had. When he’d woken up, it was to an empty room. An empty house. It didn’t take much to know why. The problem was, it could be too late. _He_ could be too late. If anything happened... he’d never forgive himself.

He had to get there. He had to be in time.  
He just had to.


	6. Scott

It was complete chaos. An absolute pandemonium. The sight he saw when he pulled up, was like nothing he’d ever seen before. He’d heard the fighting before he’d turned the final corner, and not only due to his enhanced senses. Oh, no, anyone could have heard that.

Liam’s front yard looked like the beginning of a war zone. There was screaming, fighting, people begging. There were the instigators and the victims. The bystanders and good samaritans. Jenna and David stood on the porch shouting for everyone to stop. Liam’s neighbours stood in their own front yards; some tried to intervene, but stepped back at the growls and Jenna’s frantic warnings. Theo sat with his back pressed against the outside of the door, clearly on the verge of tears. The fact that Theo was making no effort to hide it, spoke to how dire the situation was.

There, at the forefront of the scene, were Liam and Malia. Locked in a bitter dispute, neither prepared to yield. The former was determined to protect Theo, who had yet to move from that one spot behind Liam. Malia, on the other hand, was hell bent on wrecking havoc. She had no intention on leaving, without getting what she’d come for.  
“You need to leave.”  
“Not without him!”  
“I won’t warn you again!”  
“Move, Dunbar.”  
“ _I’m done_!”

That one left him wincing. The pure rage behind those words, the absolute hatred in that moment, hit hard. Everyone watching took a step back, even Liam’s parents. Theo, on the other hand, finally stood up. Taking a couple slow steps forward, Theo tentatively edged closer to Liam. He didn’t miss the way Theo was shaking, or the constant glances at Malia. It was as though he were terrified of her.

What had she done?

“Liam-”  
“Theo, stay back.”  
“Li-”

“I’m done letting her walk all over you, Theo. Just stay there.”  
Their conversation ended rather abruptly when Malia decided to speak. Her voice was laced with malicious amusement, her eyes held a challenge.  
“Come closer, Theo. I dare you.”  
Seeing Theo’s eyes widen, watching the hard swallow, the frantic way Theo stumbled back and fall to the ground, left him reeling. He couldn’t believe the way Theo was desperately crawling away from Malia; eyes glued to her menacing smile. (Yes, he’d admit it, now. He should have a long time ago, but he wanted to believe he could convince her. He wanted to believe he could get through to her.)

In that moment, all hell broke loose. Liam lunged at Malia, David ran to drag him back and Jenna... oh, was Jenna pissed. More than ever before. It was worse than anything he’d ever seen, and that included the tongue lashing the Pack had received at the clinic. The day she’d declared Theo her son. The day they all saw how far she would go to protect Theo.  
Yet despite that, this was worse. Oh, so much worse.

“How _dare_ you come to _my_ house and attack _my_ family?! How _dare_ you try something so _vicious_! You are _not_ welcome here. You need to leave, now. Before I do something I’ll regret.”  
“I’m not here for you or your family. I’m here for him.” Malia was playing with fire, and if she wasn’t careful, she’d be burned.  
“I _told you_ , Theo _is_ my family. I _won’t_ have you tell me otherwise. Don’t make me force you.”

“Nothing you say can make me leave. Not without him. He got me into this, now he’s going to get me out.”

Jenna looked downright murderous. Even Liam had gone still in David’s hold, and that spoke volumes as to the severity of the situation. “This is the _last_ time I’ll say it, so you better listen. Theo is not going _anywhere_ with you. He is _not_ responsible for this. _You_ are. You and your _spiteful_ attitude. Now, you are going to leave and not come back, because if you do, so help me, you’ll wish you hadn’t.”

Malia was fuming. Human or not, her sense of justice hadn’t changed, and she still felt she had been wronged. This was about to turn violent. One way or another. He’d stood frozen throughout all of it, so far, but enough was enough. He had to do something.  
“Just give me her number!”  
“No one is telling you that. Belladonna doesn’t want to hear from you. Nor do we.”  
“She will once I tell her what I have in store for her _precious_ Theo.”

“Hey! That’s enough!” He was just in time to stop whatever Liam had been about to do. Having broken free of David’s hold, Liam had lunged forward again, arms raised. Instead of continuing towards Malia, Liam turned to him, eyes filled with anger. Jenna was the same. She had been prepared to scream when he spoke, and whatever she was about to say would have made everything that much worse. Despite not knowing what it was, he knew that there would have been no going back.

Even Theo was looking at him from that same spot on the ground, where Theo had been ever since Malia’s last threat.  
“This has to stop. There are people around.”  
“Tell them to give me what I came here for, and I’ll go.” Malia just didn’t know when to let up. Even he couldn’t prevent what happened next. It had been a miracle that he’d held Jenna off, as long as he had.

“I’ve _had_ it!” The pure fury in Jenna’s voice was startling, and he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t afraid. “Get off my property. Get out of my street. _Get away from my family_. _Don’t_ come back here.”  
Malia had no choice but to obey. Much to her frustration and flared outrage, she turned to leave. Only to come to an abrupt halt, at the sound of Liam’s voice.  
“Stop.”

“Liam, what are you doing?” David asked quietly. They had obtained the desired outcome. They had forced Malia to leave, so why was Liam preventing that?  
“I’m sick of her treating Theo like shit. I’m sick of her getting away with it. I won’t let Malia just walk away. Not after everything she’s put Theo through. She doesn’t deserve to be let off so easily.”  
“Liam, you can’t-”  
“ _No_ , Scott. It’s time Malia faced the consequences of her hatred.”

Before anyone could say anything else, they heard sirens. They were close and approaching fast. Apparently, during the chaos, someone had called the police. He watched the patrol car pull up, and sighed as Stiles’ dad got out. Of course, the Sheriff would be the one to come.  
“Alright, everyone. Show’s over. Go back inside.”

Gradually, the neighbours dispersed. The street was left empty, apart from the seven of them. Despite that, he had no doubt that there were several eyes on them from inside the surrounding houses.  
“Would someone like to tell me what’s going on?”

“Malia’s harassing Theo.” Liam glared at her when she growled.  
“Is that so?” The Sheriff turned to face Theo, who swallowed almost instinctively. “Has Malia been harassing you?”  
Theo stared silently for a moment, eyes wide and bottom lip pulled between his teeth. Eventually, they saw a small nod. It seemed to be all Theo could muster up the strength to do. Words appeared to be out of reach. He was painful seeing Theo like this. He really wished it wasn’t because of Malia.

“This doesn’t look good.” The Sheriff had turned to Malia now, who didn’t seem fazed in the slightest.  
“I’m only here to get what I’m owed. He took something from me, and I want it back.”  
Theo shrunk under her glare. By this point, the boy was practically a part of the ground itself. If that were possible, he was sure Theo would have jumped at the chance.

Liam was pissed. “What part of ‘you were cursed because of your attitude’, don’t you understand? Theo didn’t _take_ anything from you. You lost your freedom and your own body, due to how you’ve been acting.” Liam didn’t wait for an answer. Oh, no. The next words out of Liam’s mouth brought everything to a halt. “I want her charged.”  
“ _What_?”  
“Liam-”  
“No, Scott. Mum and I have had it with Malia’s threats. I want her charged.”

This was bad. Everyone was looking at Liam with different expressions. Theo mirrored his own shock, whilst David was surprised but clearly accepted the decision. It didn’t come as a surprise that Jenna agreed completely. The Sheriff was looking at Liam, as if to be certain he’d heard correctly, and Malia...  
Well, Malia was seething.

“Right, let’s take this down to the station. We’ll sort this out there.”  
With that, they all made their way to their various cars. Jenna and David took their own, whilst Theo, Liam and Scott rode in Theo’s truck. Malia had to ride with the Sheriff in the back of the patrol car. That is, after Liam allowed her to move. Of course, all he permitted her to do was sit in the car. Once she sat down, she was effectively trapped again. She wouldn’t be able to move until they arrived at the station, and Liam gave her another directive.

Why couldn’t someone else allow her to, you ask? It’s simple. Liam had ordered Malia to only listen to himself, Jenna and David.

This was going to be a long drive.


	7. Sheriff Stilinski

He wasn’t paid enough for this. Sometimes, he wished he could go back to when he didn’t know about the supernatural. It seemed like everything was somehow linked to that world. Every day seemed to bring another crisis, and with that, the Pack’s involvement. And where the Pack was involved, something was bound to go wrong.

It wasn’t fair, and it definitely wasn’t right, but it’s how their lives had been ever since Scott was turned. The latest just so happened to be _yet another curse_. Only this time, it was Malia, and they all knew how well that would go. In case you somehow missed the obvious, it wasn’t good.

The drive back was long and tense. Why wouldn’t it be, when you had an angry ex were coyote in the backseat of your patrol car? That sort of sentence had become way too common lately. By the time they pulled up, he was ready to jump ship.

The Pack were already there, and don’t get him started on how they’d clearly sped. It was the only way they could have made it there before him. He wasn’t in the mood to debate that now, though. There were important problems to be discussed, and the main one was currently sitting in the back of his patrol car.

Malia hadn’t moved once since she sat down, and now he was stuck waiting for Liam to release her, so they could take this inside. The boy was seemingly in no rush to free her, and if what they claimed were true, he could understand why.

He may have been hesitant to trust Theo, at first, and had undertaken his own share of harassment, but he’d come around. Not that it excused his actions, of course. He would however, protect Theo just as he would the rest of the Pack. He would protect them, as he would the civilians of Beacon Hills.

“Liam, can we move this along, please?”  
The scowl he received was unsettling, but he wouldn’t be intimidated by a boy in his twenties. Even one who happened to be a werewolf.  
“Why? Can’t you just do it here?”  
“This isn’t exactly private, Liam. We can discuss this in my office, away from prying eyes.”

Well, that was apparently the wrong thing to say. It would seem that wasn’t important to Liam. Far from it, in fact.  
“I don’t _care, who_ sees! She didn’t consider that when she held Theo down. She didn’t care when it was Theo trapped in front of an audience. She didn’t care when it was Theo in this position. So, _why_ should _I_ care about her comfort?!”

The screaming had drawn some of the deputies outside, to check on the disturbance. He could see in their eyes that they wanted to intervene. They wanted to step in and rein in the fight, before it got any worse. It wouldn’t do any good, though. If anything, it would probably push Liam over the edge. Signalling for the deputies to stay put, he took a deep breath before responding.  
“I understand your frustration, Liam. Despite that, there is protocol. This needs to be taken into my office.”

“ _Protocol_? Was it _protocol_ when you had Theo _followed_?”  
He should have known Liam would be aware of that. Jenna, on the other hand, was not. Judging by the indignant expression directed his way, Jenna wasn’t impressed, either.  
“You _what_?”  
“Jenna, I was trying to protect Stiles-”  
“That doesn’t give you the right to have a young boy surveilled! It doesn’t give you the right to treat him like a criminal!”

“I had to be sure.” He was losing his temper, and that wouldn’t do anything but make the situation ten times worse. He needed to diffuse the situation and fast. “That doesn’t mean I was right. My intention was, but the way I went about it was wrong. I should never have had Theo followed. I know I’ve already said this, Theo, but I’ll say it again. I’m sorry.”

Theo simply nodded, still overwhelmed by the day’s events. This was going to place an enormous hurdle on his recovery. He also knew that Jenna wouldn’t forget this anytime soon. Sighing, he saw that Liam hadn’t changed his mind, which meant they were no closer to resolving this.  
“Liam, we need to move inside. We can’t stay in the car park all day.”

All that achieved was an increasingly narrowed gaze, and Liam crossing his arms. Sometimes it felt like he was still dealing with children.  
“I’m not going anywhere. I want her charged, and you can do it here. Where everyone can see.”

He didn’t know what to do anymore. He didn’t know how to convince Liam this was unreasonable. The anger and defensiveness, the desire to protect Theo was all Liam could see. It was practically impossible to break through. That is, until a hand landed gently on Liam’s shoulder. A hand that squeezed ever so lightly. The whispered words that were somehow enough to guide Liam away from the group. Liam, who followed Theo over to the other side of the carpark, seemed to lose a little tension.

He couldn’t hear what was being said, and judging by Scott’s confusion, they were beyond supernatural range, as well. Not that they needed to know. It was between Liam and Theo, but whatever had been said, it was apparently enough to persuade Liam.  
He watched in hopeful anticipation as the boys made their way back. Liam was still angry, but at least he appeared to be less tense and volatile. Theo had a way of breaking through to Liam, when no one else could.

“Fine. Maybe I was being a _little_ unfair.”  
The relief he felt was indescribable. He really wasn’t looking forward to locking Liam up, as well. He also knew it wouldn’t go well with the current people surrounding them, and he didn’t need another argument. “Right, well let’s go and we can work this out.”

Once Malia had been released, and she was finally out of the car, they were able to move this along. The deputies had yet to turn away, but as they passed by, he assured them everything was fine. As they went back to work, he closed the door behind him and sat down. Here goes nothing.

“Alright. Can someone please tell me exactly what happened?”  
He was met with a rush of voices, all talking over one another and in varying degrees of anger. This was getting them nowhere. “ _One at a time_.”  
The sounds came to an immediate halt, and now no one would speak. Sometimes, he wished he’d chosen a different career.

“David. What is this about?”  
Surely, David could be helpful and objective. At least enough to explain the situation. He was both right and wrong.  
“Malia showed up at our house earlier today, demanding to see Theo. When we asked her to leave, she refused. Malia demanded Theo come down and screamed that she knew he could hear her. In the end, Theo came with Liam to try and make her stop, but she still refused to go without Theo.”

David stopped to take a deep breath, and relax a little. It was understandable that this would cause them all stress. He was beginning to feel defensive himself, and he wasn’t even there.  
“None of us would allow it, and that only served to set Malia off. She threatened Theo. It was malicious and cruel. She terrified him.”  
The look of discomfort distorting Theo’s features, left him feeling immensely sorry for the boy. Brushing a hand over his face, he looked at Malia. “Why would you do that?”

Instead of an answer, all he received was a narrowed glare. That is until Jenna spoke.  
“Answer the Sheriff.”  
Malia’s scowl deepened. “I was cursed because of Theo, so he’s going to make sure Belladonna breaks it.”  
“So, you threatened him?”  
“Yes.”  
“You realise that’s a crime?”  
“I don’t care.” She spat. “I don’t care what it takes. He did this to me, and he’s going to fix it.”

“We want her charged.” It was Jenna this time, and with one look, he could see that both David and Liam were on her side. Not that he didn’t already know that.  
“They’re right, Sheriff.”  
They all looked up at that. Out of everyone there, no one had expected Scott to agree. Him, least of all.  
“Are you sure, Scott?”

“Yes. I wish it hadn’t come to this, but Malia won’t stop. She’s going to continue to go after Theo, unless we do something.”  
Well, this was the last thing he’d expected when he got up this morning. “Alright. Malia, you’re under arrest for harassment, trespassing, creating a public disturbance and threatening harm.”

As Liam instructed her to walk to the cells and stay there, Malia’s eyes never left Scott’s. For his part, Scott tried to meet her gaze, but eventually looked away. This was tearing the Pack apart, and there was nothing he could do about it.

The decision became final the moment the cell gate clicked shut. There was no going back now. No pretending this never happened.  
Heaven help the Pack.  
Heaven help Theo.


	8. Malia

How could Scott do that? How could he take Theo’s side? How could he agree to locking her up? How could the Pack take side with Theo?

Even Stiles had turned on her. He’d arrived at the station as soon as he’d heard, and ripped through her. None of this made any sense. She was the one being wronged. She was the one who had been cursed, and that was because of Theo and Belladonna.

So, why were they supporting him? Okay, maybe she’d been a little harsh when she’d threatened him, but it’s not like he was innocent, either. So, he experienced some discomfort and fear. Was it really that bad? How many times had Theo done the same? How many times had Theo inflicted pain, fear and death? How many times had Theo been the one to lead the assault?

He’d attacked every single one of them, and yet somehow, she was the bad guy.

None of the Pack knew what this was like. She was essentially powerless. What was she supposed to do? Nothing? Just stay like this? There was no way she would accept this. She wouldn’t spend the rest of her life like this. How could they help Theo, but not her?  
They didn’t understand. No one did. No one but Theo. He deserved it, though. Didn’t he? After everything he’d done... he deserved it. Right? Could she really have been overreacting this entire time? Was she really the one to blame?

It was the middle of the night now, and she couldn’t stop thinking about it. Had she really been wrong the entire time?


	9. Theo

It was a disaster. This entire situation. Everything was falling apart around them, and there was nothing he could do to fix it. It was all his fault. If he hadn’t tried to mend his mistakes, if he hadn’t tried to make up for the pain he’d caused the Pack... if he hadn’t decided to try to maintain his friendship with Liam, if he hadn’t pissed off the third witch, if he hadn’t pissed off any of the witches...  
If he hadn’t decided to stay...

He never should have tried to make a life here. It was foolish from the start. All he’d done was bring the Pack down again. Even when he wanted to be good, when he wanted to help, he still brought about destruction and pain.

It was all he was good for. It was time he accepted that.


	10. Liam

“We have a problem.”  
That’s why they were at the Sheriff’s house? At seven in the morning? He should be sleeping. Seriously, it was a Sunday. No classes. No work. No Malia. What could possibly be wrong now? If there’s _another_ supernatural threat, he was going to scream.  
“Which is?”  
The Sheriff rubbed his forehead, which meant whatever came next really was bad. He was suddenly awake and alert. Every nerve in his body was prepared for a fight.

“It’s Malia.”  
You have _got_ to be kidding. “ _That’s_ what this is about? I’m going home.”  
“Liam, wait-”  
“No. Sheriff, we’ve been through this. She needs to pay for what she did.” He would not stand here and listen to them defend her. He wouldn’t do it. Especially not when Theo was standing right there.

“What about you?”  
“ _Excuse me?_ ” They were not pinning this on him.  
“You manipulated Malia. You controlled her.”  
“She did the same to Theo!”  
“Not like you. You deliberately tried to punish her, in more ways than one. You tried to make it known to as many people as you could.”  
“Sheriff-”

“No, Liam. The worst part of all of this, is the fact you limited her choices even further, by only allowing you and your parents to give directives. You essentially enslaved her.”  
“I didn’t-”  
“You did. You made sure that no one else could undo your orders. You made sure she was as uncomfortable as possible.”

“She did the same thing to Theo! She trapped him out near the town border! He couldn’t move, couldn’t speak! How is that fair? How is that _right?!_ You _can’t_ let her off!”  
“Liam, think about this-”

No. He refused to accept it. He wouldn’t let her get away with everything she’d put Theo through. Not again. She had to face the consequences. She had to learn she couldn’t do whatever she wanted. Despite the entire Pack being here, and he did mean the _entire_ Pack, no one else had spoken. The conversation was currently solely occupied by him and the Sheriff.

“I am not going to stand here, and have you tell me why Malia is innocent. I won’t listen to you tell me she should go free.”  
“No one said she’s innocent, Liam.” Stiles helpfully chimed in. After everything they’d said, and _that’s_ what Stiles chooses to point out. Well, great. They were on the same page. So, why then, were they having this conversation?

The Sheriff sighed, and he was really tired of hearing that sound. It wasn’t the first time this morning, and it was becoming increasingly frustrating.  
“All I’m saying Liam, is we need to talk about this. I’m not talking about letting Malia off scot free, but we can’t arrest her.”  
“ _Why not?!_ ” This was ridiculous! She’d been on _his_ family’s property, and _refused_ to leave. They had every right to press charges.

“How many times have I looked the other way? How many times have I closed a blind eye to anything related to the supernatural?”  
Oh, come on! What does that have to do with anything? This isn’t even supernatural. They aren’t pressing charges because Malia’s a were coyote or because she was cursed. They’re pressing charges because she threatened Theo.

“She’s in a jail cell due to her actions, not because of the supernatural. Don’t make excuses for her.”  
“It’s not an excuse. For goodness sakes, Liam. Don’t you understand? If I arrest Malia, I’ll have to arrest nearly the entire Pack.”  
That made everyone freeze. All eyes were on the Sheriff. His own were narrowed, and he was _this_ close to losing his temper completely. They hadn’t _done_ anything. All they’d done was protect Theo. How could they possibly be arrested for that? It was self defence. He’d never even _touched_ Malia.

“Are you _seriously_ blaming _us_ for what she did?” He was positively seething now. He was _this_ close to snapping, and the only reason he hadn’t already, was the strong presence behind him. Ever since the Sheriff had declared she wouldn’t be arrested, that she wouldn’t be held responsible, Theo had moved to stand beside him. It was the only reason he was still maintaining a semblance of control.

“This has nothing to do with what happened yesterday. Just consider everything that’s taken place over the years. Ever since and even before Scott was turned. Almost every single Pack member has committed at least one crime. Including myself.”  
“What are you talking about?!”

“He’s right.” Lydia. Seriously, _Lydia_ was against him? “We’ve all done something illegal. Yes, it was for the safety of the Pack and the town, but we still broke the law.”  
“Name _one_ time any of us broke the law.”  
Lydia and the Sheriff both looked at him, as if he’d lost his mind. A fact he didn’t appreciate. They then proceeded to name a _long_ list of examples.

“Derek, Jackson, Ethan, Stiles, Chris and Peter on countless murders.”  
“You for the attempted murder of Scott.”  
(Ouch).  
“Danny on multiple counts of hacking.”  
(Okay, if you wanted to get technical.)  
“Chris on counts of harassment, assault, kidnapping and murder.”  
“Stiles for harassment and threatening  
“The entire Pack could be charged with breaking and entering, aiding and abetting a criminal, obstructing an investigation and destruction of public property, amongst others.”  
“Even Coach has broken the law to help us. Not to mention our parents. The better question is who in this town _hasn’t_?”

Okay, so _maybe_ Lydia and the Sheriff had a point, but still. That doesn’t compare to what Malia did. Most of those examples were for the good of others, and those that weren’t were in the past and had been dealt with. Some of those murders also weren’t the person’s fault. Jackson and Stiles were being controlled and possessed at the time, and Derek was physically _forced_ to kill Boyd. It wasn’t their choice.

“We had our reasons. We weren’t trying to hurt anyone. You can’t blame Stiles, Derek and Jackson for what someone else made them do. Malia was well aware of what she was doing, and she didn’t care. She did it for herself.”  
The sheriff had apparently not finished, because the next words out of the Sheriff’s mouth, knocked the wind out of him.  
“What about Theo?”

The entire room went silent. This time is was accompanied by an overwhelming tension. All eyes were now on either Theo or himself. _The Sun, The Moon, The Truth. The Sun, The Moon, The Truth. The Sun, The Moon, The Truth._ He needed to breathe. He needed to calm down. It didn’t help that Theo was no longer beside him. No, when he looked back, Theo had taken several steps away. Head down, shoulders stiff. Those three words had struck a cord; one that he’d been trying to remove for months. Just like that, the Sheriff had brought those worries back up.

“Don’t you _dare_.”  
“I’m sorry Liam, but it’s true.”  
“ _Stop_.”  
“Theo committed almost every single one of those crimes and more.”  
He could smell the guilt and pain from Theo. He could sense the suffocating shame, and he was ready to shed blood over the fact the Sheriff had caused it. “That was in the past, and you _know_ it. I _won’t_ let you vilify Theo for the mistakes he made.”

“No one’s denying that, Liam.” Lydia just had to join in again. How could they both be so adamant on hurting Theo? “The point Sheriff Stilinski is trying to make, is that intentional or not, past or present, it still occurred.”  
“So what?!”

“We’re not holding it against him.” The Sheriff looked at Theo, who had yet to lift his gaze from the ground. “Theo, son.” The way Theo closed in on himself even more, broke his heart. “I promise we’re not blaming you.”

“Then _why_ ,” he growled, “are you bringing this up?”  
“Look, all I’m trying to say, is that if you insist on me arresting Malia, I’ll have no choice but to arrest all of you. Including Theo.”

That made Theo look up. Sharp and sudden, eyes filled with fear. Seeing that raw panic and distress was the final straw. He’d had it.  
“That’s it. We’re leaving.”  
“Liam-”  
“No! I’m done, Lydia! Look at him! Look at Theo! You’re all scaring him!” He didn’t care if he was screaming. He didn’t care if this was getting them nowhere. He absolutely _refused_ to spend another second here, letting them condemn Theo.

“We don’t want to. The Sheriff would have no choice.”  
“Of course, he does! Malia is the one at fault here! Charge her, and leave us alone! Leave _Theo_ alone! He’s been through enough! He doesn’t need all of you making it worse!”  
How the others had remained quiet through all of this, was beyond him. Somehow, it was still only the three of them in this argument. Not including Stiles’ one comment. The Sheriff merely sighed _again_ , and looked at him pointedly. As if _he_ were in the wrong.

“I can’t pick and choose who I hold accountable. If I apply the law to one of you, I have to apply it to the entire Pack. Which, may I remind you, I should have done to begin with. I could be charged for ignoring everything that happened on my watch, every time it came to the supernatural. Oh, and don’t get me started on who’s to blame for Theo’s fear.”

Oh, he did _not_ just insinuate it was his fault?  
“I have done nothing but help Theo.”  
“Now, yes, but what about before? What about when you and the Pack sent him to hell?”  
A chorus of gasps erupted, sending the room into chaos, before once again descending into silence. Only this time, it was a lot more volatile and ready to blow. The atmosphere was so tense, it could be cut with a knife.  
The words he’d been about to scream, died in his throat. Just like that, his anger deserted him. Let’s face it. It was true.

Yes, he’d apologised and he’d promised to help Theo get past it, but that didn’t change the fact he’d been involved. It didn’t change the fact, that Theo would always remember what it was like,to have Tara tear his beating heart from his body. It didn’t change the fact Theo now knew what it was like to die, _over and over_ again, with no way out. No end in sight.  
It was pure torture, and he’d been involved. No matter how much he helped Theo, it wouldn’t change what he’d done. What the Pack had done.

“One of the worst crimes any of you have committed, is that act of unlawful imprisonment. The rest can be justified or explained. Some can be put down to possession and sources outside of your control, but that... That _cannot_ be reasoned. Not one of you can find a justifiable reason for what you did.

“It was unjust and criminal. You acted as judge, jury and executioner. You sentenced Theo to an eternity of suffering. Yes, I wasn’t too concerned at first, either, and I was wrong. Yes, he should have faced consequences at the time, but nothing that severe. Nothing that cruel.

“Hell, I’m just as much to blame on that account. I should have ordered you to release him, the second Stiles told me. Every single one of us can be charged for what we’ve done. I can’t choose who is held accountable and who isn’t. If I arrest Malia, then I have to arrest all of you.”

Silence. Lasting, shocked silence. No one knew what to say. How were they supposed to respond to that? What was worse, was Theo had pulled back even further from the group. He didn’t know what was going through Theo’s mind, and that’s what hurt the most. He picked up on the confusion, the pain, the surprise...

Despite all of that, he couldn’t form an understanding of what Theo was thinking.  
The Sheriff was right. He’d caused this. Unintentionally, but regardless, he had. He’d made it worse by pushing back against Malia. In his rage, he’d lost control. He’d lost sight of the bigger picture. Malia may have tried to mess with Theo, but he had practically taken away _any_ freedom Malia had. He’d prevented anyone other than him and his parents from telling her what to do.

He’d left her immobile for the entire ride to the station. He’d refused to let her out. He’d tried to show her what it was like, what Theo had felt, but he’d gone too far. _Way_ too far.

What’s worse, is he’d hurt Theo. The very person he’d been trying to shield and protect.  
“Okay.” He swallowed, trying to regain his ability to speak. It seemed to have deserted him, the moment the Sheriff spoke. Releasing a shaky breath, he whispered his next words. “Let her out, but she has to face some form of consequence.”

He barely registered the Sheriff sighing, _yet again_. “I promise, Liam. She will.” Turning to face Theo, the Sheriff closed his eyes for a moment before continuing. “I’m sorry, Theo. I didn’t want to bring your past up, but I needed to reiterate how serious this situation was. Please believe me when I say, I had no intention of hurting you. We’re not holding it against you. We know you’ve changed.”

Theo appeared unsure of how to react. He’d never seen Theo so lost before. It was heartbreaking.  
“Do- do you... do you mean that?”  
“Of course, we do. The old Theo wouldn’t have even asked that. The old Theo wouldn’t have cared, but _you_ do.” Stiles had come a long way himself, to be the one reassuring Theo.  
“How can you-”

“We’ve all made mistakes, Theo.” Derek chimed in, drawing everyone’s attention. “This has made that pretty clear. If there’s one common factor with the Pack, it’s that we’re pretty forgiving.”  
“How’s that relate to me?”  
There were a lot of ominous silences taking place today. Theo seemed to be the most unnerved by the latest one.  
“Theo.” Scott voiced slowly. “You do know you’re Pack, right?”

To say Theo’s eyes grew wide, would be an understatement. That one declaration had left Theo speechless.  
“I- I am?” You’d have to be clueless to miss the desperate hope in those three words.  
“Theo, you’ve been Pack since the war with the hunters. I really thought you knew. I’m sorry. I should have been more clear.” Scott looked devastated.

He crossed the room in a moment, pressing his shoulder against Theo, who leant into the touch as if it were a lifeline. This was all too much for Theo to handle. He knew that much. He _knew_ , even without the glazed look in Theo’s eyes.

That look meant only one thing, and the last thing Theo needed, or wanted for the matter, was to cry in front of the _entire Pack_. It had been hard enough with Scott and the Sheriff witnessing the aftermath, of Malia turning up unannounced the day before, but this... Theo wouldn’t be able to handle this.

Taking Theo’s hand, he pulled him out of the house. Ignoring the calls from behind, the questioning voices, he kept walking. Offering a quick, “go release Malia”, as he closed the door, he took a deep breath of fresh air. He and Theo needed to talk, and they needed to talk now.


	11. Theo

Breathe. Just breathe. This was _not_ the time for a panic attack. It had been a while since the last one. In fact, he’d managed to make it through a few weeks without one. When you think about it, it was a miracle considering the whole warehouse trauma.  
This was the worst time for it to come back. He wasn’t alone. He wasn’t alone because Liam was here. _Liam_. Why was it _always_ Liam?

“Please, Theo, just talk to me.”  
Eyes shut, deep breaths, fists clenched. He needed to gain control. He needed to maintain his composure. He couldn’t afford to break. He couldn’t afford to let his hold slip. Even for a second. Liam couldn’t see him like that. It would be worse than embarrassing. It would be the last shred of his dignity.

“Theo.”  
The hard ground beneath his feet. Cold bricks behind him. Warm air filling his lungs. He was so close to the edge, he could feel the anxiety tracing his chest. Weaving its way through his veins; encompassing every inch of his body. Any second now he could crack. A crack which would splinter into a thousand fissures, spiralling onto the surface. Leaving him raw and exposed.

Deep breath. He needed to regain control, and he needed to do it _now_. It was his only chance at making it out of this intact. Claws extended, he felt the familiar pressure of each tearing through skin. He felt the familiar sting. He recognised the accompanying metallic scent of blood.

Suddenly, hands were on his, pulling them open. Prying the claws from his palms. His eyes shot up, wide and alert, as he met the bright blue gaze. Liam was angry, and he didn’t know why.

“I told you to stop doing that.”  
He flinched at the weight of Liam’s anger. A response the beta was all too aware of, judging by the instant release of pressure. Though the hands never left his, the grip wasn’t so constricting. Liam’s features softened; his voice lost its edge.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just...” Liam let out a tired huff. “I don’t like seeing you hurt yourself.”  
“It’s only on the surface, Liam. It’ll heal.”  
“That’s not the point, Theo. You can’t keep inflicting harm on yourself. Faster healing or not, it’s not okay. It’s not healthy.”

He scoffed. How could he not? “I never claimed to be healthy, Liam.” He regretted his words immediately. He regretted them the moment he saw those blue irises harden. Narrowing in question. One he didn’t wish to answer.

“Why are we here? Why did you drag me away from the Sheriff’s house?” Not that he wasn’t relieved. Being there, wouldn’t have helped. It would have only made it harder to think. Harder to focus on his restraint.  
“Are you saying you’d rather have stayed?”  
How did Liam always seem to know exactly what he was thinking? “No, but that doesn’t tell me why you pulled me out. It’s like the place was on fire.”

“I wanted to talk, and I didn’t want everyone there when we did.”  
He didn’t know how to respond to that. Was that supposed to be good or bad? Should he be worried? “Why?”  
He tracked Liam’s hand, as it drew rough lines through that beautiful blond hair, almost... nervously? Why was Liam nervous? Had he done something? Was this his fault, as well?

“I didn’t mean to.” Okay, not what he was expecting. “I swear I didn’t mean to, Theo.”  
“What are you talking about?”  
“I made everything so much worse for you.”  
Okay, no. Liam wasn’t- _couldn’t_ be...  
“All I wanted was to help, but I didn’t. At least not like I wanted to. I made it harder on you. I put you through those arguments. You had to calm me down. That wasn’t fair. You shouldn’t have had to do that.”

“I-”  
“That’s on top of what you went through down there. You’re struggling as it is with the effects of hell, as well as everything you’ve been through with each curse, _especially_ the last one. As if that wasn’t difficult enough, I had to go and add more to your plate.”  
“Liam, we’ve already-”

“I know we’ve spoken about this before, Theo, but I need to say it again. I need to tell you how sorry I am. I need you to know I want so much to take it back. I would do _anything_ to take it back. To stop you from going through that.”

His chest ached, his heart beating a mile a minute, but for a different reason. The panic subsided, ebbing away as it was replaced by that same sense of injustice. The same sadness and hurt he’d felt ever since he’d been cast underground. A part of him remained there, trapped in the depths of those tunnels. Eternally lost.

There was no way to get back what he’d lost, what had been taken from him. He knew that. It would be impossible to expect any different, but maybe he could start to heal. Maybe he could finally start to stitch the open wound that was his heart.

“It hurts. Every time it comes up, it hurts.” He hated seeing the guilt in Liam’s eyes, but he had to say this. He needed to voice his thoughts. It was too painful to keep them hidden any longer. “Do they really not blame me? Have they really forgotten?”

Liam smiles, but it didn’t quite meet his eyes. “We forgave you a long time ago, Theo.”  
“But... how am I Pack? Even if- even if I’d changed, how can Scott let me back in? How can they trust me?” He watched Liam sit down beside him, the ground just as uncomfortable he’d imagine. Liam didn’t seem to care. He drew comfort from the way those welcoming hands never left his own. The constant touch a source of acceptance. It reassured him Liam wasn’t scared of him. That he had a friend. A Pack.

“We trust you, because you’ve shown time and time again that we can. You’ve shown we can count on you to be there, to have our backs and to do whatever you can to keep everyone safe. We trust you, because not once since you came back have you tried anything. You don’t want to hurt anyone, Theo. We can all see that. No one is scared. No one is worried what you’ll do because we know. We know you’ll be right there with us.”

“But, _how_?”  
“Why is it so hard for you to believe we could forgive you?”  
“Damn it, Liam! I _killed_ people! I _tortured_ all of you, one way or another. The Sheriff was right when he said I’ve committed all of those crimes. That’s not even half of what I’m responsible for. How could any of you _possibly_ move past that?  
“I told you, Theo. We’ve seen how much you’ve changed.”

This didn’t make sense. None of it. This was what he’d wanted all along. He wanted to be a part of the Pack, but he’d known it would never happen. Or, at least, he thought he did. Somehow, he’d missed the fact he had been in the Pack for _years_.

“All of this is my fault. I divided all of you. I did it again, and I didn’t even mean to. I can’t help, Liam. I’m only going to cause more problems.”

If he thought he knew what to expect, he was sorely mistaken. Emphasis on the sore. He’d known he didn’t understand what Liam was saying, but he thought he knew how the beta would react. Clearly not. Before he could so much as blink, he was sprawled on the concrete ground. One forceful shove, and he was on his back.

When he looked up, he locked eyes with those blue irises. Angry and on edge. Apparently, they were done playing nice.  
“You know what? I’m done. I can’t stand here and listen to you put yourself down. I can’t stand here and _watch_ , as you assume everything is on you.”  
This was the _last_ reaction he’d expected. “Li-”

“ _No_ , Theo. I know you’ve been through a lot. More than anyone should have, and some of that is on me. I know that, and I want to be here for you, but I _can’t_ if you don’t let me. You have to let me in, Theo. You have to accept that you’re not that same person. _You_ have to accept that you’ve changed.”  
“Liam-” He lay still, eyes fixed on the fiery determination in those deep blue eyes. He couldn’t do anything but stare.  
“I can’t do this, Theo. I can’t let you blame yourself.” Liam’s voice trailed off; the final words a faded whisper. “I just can’t.”

Now.

Now was the time to speak. Liam had fallen silent. It was the perfect time to reply, and yet, he was speechless. There were no words to describe how he felt, right now. It was like a hole had been filled. The same hole he’d been trying to patch, since the first time he’d felt Tara’s hand tear through his chest. The fracturing of ribs still sounded in his ears. The image of that cruel, merciless smile played before his eyes every night.

Amongst the shadows of his past and the echoes of his punishment, he felt somewhat whole again. He knew he had a long way to go, but for the first time in a long time, he felt like he could see the finish line. He could see the light at the end of the tunnel.

“I’m trying, Liam. I am. It’s just hard to believe someone wants me around. It’s been _years_ since I had any sort of support. I haven’t had something good in my life since I left with the Dread Doctors. Even before that.” The first tears trickled down his cheeks, leaving streaks as evidence of their existence. “It’s hard to believe you and Scott, that _Stiles_ and the others, would want me around after I hurt you so much.”

He wanted so much for this to be real, but it was terrifying at the same time. If it _were_ real, then he could lose it. If he could feel it, only to watch it slip from his grasp, it would break him. Shattered beyond repair.  
“Liam, I don’t want to put myself out there. Not if I can’t keep this. Not if I’ll have to give it up.”

Just as they had earlier, Liam’s expression softened. It welcomed him in. It promised Liam wouldn’t abandon him. How one look could evoke such emotion, such irrefutable facts was beyond his understanding. Breath hitching, he watched as Liam held out a hand for him. Once he was sitting up, the warm pressure against his arm was a welcome relief. He could never say no to the gentle presence of that hand. It offered contact. It provided a friendly touch. A gentleness he wasn’t used to.

“We’ll get through this, Theo. I promise. You’ve been there for us every time we needed you. Now, it’s your turn. Let us help you, Theo.”

The utter relief was overwhelming. It was almost too much to bear. It all seemed too good to be true. A part of him still thought this was some kind of cruel joke. It believed this was the Pack’s way of punishing him for manipulating them. It screamed at him that this was a trap.

But he knew better, now. A larger part of him knew the Pack wouldn’t do that. Scott and Stiles wouldn’t do that. _Liam_ wouldn’t do that. No, that part of him knew that this was real, and as frightening as that was, he wouldn’t change it for the world. Liam’s words replayed in his mind, and one common theme stood out amongst the rest.

_He wasn’t alone._


	12. Malia

Morning. It was morning, and she was _still_ at the station. How long were they going to keep her here? She’d had time to think over night, a _lot_ of time, and yes. She’d come to realise she’d been a little harsh. Okay, _very_ harsh.

She supposed she had a similar problematic childhood as Theo. Not that they were the same. She’d killed the majority of her family, as well, and whilst it wasn’t intentional, it was still her fault. It had been out of her control, having no idea of her were coyote self, but it was her transformation that led to the crash.

Theo had _chosen_ to kill Tara. To kill the others. To come after her and her friends. Theo had _chosen_ to do so, but maybe he hadn’t been as willing as she’d thought. Thinking about it now, he _was_ a child. It must have been frightening, when three men in masks that no one else could see, appeared.

She couldn’t believe she felt sorry for Theo. Not once had she thought she’d be here. As much as she disliked the idea, she owed him. That much was obvious. There was no way around it. Not when you looked at everything she’d done.

In saying that, _how long_ were they going to keep her here? It was impossible to sleep on these infernal beds. They were as hard as the ground itself. Correction. It was _worse_ than the ground. She felt like she was constantly being watched. Not knowing who was there or what was happening outside of her sight, didn’t help matters. It left her feeling weak and vulnerable, and she _hated_ that feeling.

No wonder Theo had been so desperate to break the curses. Aside from the obvious, he must have felt the same. Open to an attack without any way to defend himself. There was a time where that wouldn’t have bothered her. In fact, she would have cheered. The thought of Theo being unable to protect himself, would have been exciting. A chance to teach him a lesson.

Now, though... she knew what it was like, and it wasn’t an enjoyable situation. She’d also taken the time to consider Theo’s side, and as frustrating as it was, he didn’t deserve that. He didn’t deserve to be tormented and abused.

She wasn’t sorry for sending him to hell, though. He was a threat, and he needed to be neutralised. He had shown time and time again that he was dangerous. Too dangerous to be allowed to go free. They couldn’t afford to give him any leverage. It was the only way to ensure Theo couldn’t escape. She wouldn’t apologise for protecting her friends, but she would apologise for how she’d treated him since.

That is, if she ever got out of here.

It felt like hours had passed, when she _finally_ heard the sound of footsteps outside the cells. Standing from where she’d been sitting on the bed, (seriously, how was that deemed appropriate?), she waited at the gate.

The sight of the Sheriff left her on edge. She had no idea what he would say. For all she knew, he was here to tell her they weren’t letting her out. One night was bad enough, but an indefinite stay? She couldn’t stand the thought.

He stopped at the edge of her cell, eyes meeting hers, as he remained silent. Every second that passed, drove her closer to the brink of sanity. Was he really going to just _stand_ there?  
“Well?”  
“Liam won’t be pressing charges.”  
Oh, thank goodness. She tracked the Sheriff’s movements, as he made his way to the card reader. The way he stopped short of releasing the lock, arm raised inches from the keypad, set her nerves on edge. Was this a _game_ to him? This was her life, and he was toying with her.

“What are you waiting for? Open it.”  
Instead of listening, the Sheriff lowered his arm. The card was placed back in his pocket and out of reach.  
“Are you kidding me? You can’t just do that.”  
She was met with an unwavering stare. He wasn’t swayed in the slightest by her disbelief. In fact, he remained unfazed.  
“Tell me something.”  
“Tell you what? What are you talking about?” How was this supposed to make sense? Was she supposed to know what the Sheriff wanted?

“Theo. What are you planning to do once you’re out?”  
She really should have known. Of course, that’s what it was. Everyone was on his side. She could admit she’d been wrong to go after him the way she did, but couldn’t at least _one_ person see it from her perspective?

“Let me out, and I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.” Did that happen? No. Instead, she watched as the Sheriff walked away. Just _walked away_ without another word. “Where are you going?” Nothing. “Sheriff.” He was at the door, and before she knew it, he was ready to close it behind him.  
“I’ll apologise!”  
She stared in anxious silence, _waiting_ for him to turn back. To free her. She _really_ didn’t want to spend another day here, let alone another night. Slowly, he looked back, meeting her pleading eyes. Yes, she was pleading. Say anything, and you’ll regret it.  
“Am I supposed to believe that?”

A groan escaped before she could hold it in. Though, if she were being honest, she wasn’t trying that hard. “I don’t care if you believe me or not. I told you what you wanted to know, now uphold your end of the agreement.”  
The Sheriff merely narrowed his gaze. That couldn’t be a good sign. “You may not care, but I do. If you’re not going to take this seriously, then you can wait the forty eight hours that I’m legally allowed to hold you for.”

_Forty eight hours?_

“Is this a joke?!”  
“I won’t have you running over to assault and threaten Theo again. If that’s what you have planned, then you can stay where you are.”  
Everything was about Theo. She was so over this. They better help her once this was all over. “I’m not going to hurt him. I meant it when I said I’d apologise. I may have been a bit unfair.” The raised eyebrow was unnecessary. “ _Alright_. Extremely unfair. Can you just open the door, now?”

For a moment, she thought the Sheriff might just leave without her. Despite her cooperation, he looked as though he were seriously considering it. Thankfully, it wasn’t long before he approached the card reader again, and _this time_ actually activated it. She hadn’t been this relieved in a long time.

“You are not to go near Theo without prior approval. There is to be someone with you at all times, when you do. You are _not_ to be alone with Theo, under any circumstances. Do you understand?”  
Great. More rules.  
“I understand. Can I go, now?”  
The Sheriff huffed before turning to leave. “Scott’s outside. Don’t keep him waiting.”

It was a quiet drive back to Scott’s. Neither of them spoke, and the tension only grew the longer they sat there. It didn’t matter, right now. She had more important questions to worry about, than the state of her relationship. How was she supposed to apologise to Theo with a chaperone? Honestly, they were treating her like she really was nine. Or, maybe it was for Theo’s sake.

Why not? Everything else was.


	13. Theo

The room was dark, the only sound that of the movie. He’d tuned out everything else; even their heartbeats. All he could focus on were the scenes taking place on screen. The movement. The characters. It had been months since they’d first started watching these, and he’d yet to finish the final part.  
‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’.

He received - and ignored - a confused stare from Liam. It spoke of a disbelief at the fact he _still_ hadn’t seen it. He’d had plenty of time to watch it since the first curse, or he would have, had he not been homeless. Not that he could tell Liam that. Which is why he was here, ignoring Liam’s stare, which felt a little too much like being dissected for his liking.

Once it became clear he wasn’t going to answer any questions, the beta finally pressed play, and he’d been sitting here ever since. Unmoving and fixated. The revelation of the crystal skull’s true nature, its treasure, was unexpected but intriguing. As the credits rolled, he found himself wanting more. He wanted to be there. To be in those hills. To have witnessed such a scene.

It was strange to wish to be in a fictional world, but the desire was there, nonetheless.

“So, I take it you liked it?”  
When he looked up, he saw Liam’s wide grin. Before he realised what he was doing, he was returning the smile. Just as wide. Just as open.  
“Wouldn’t you?”  
He loved the laugh he received in response, but it was interrupted by a wave of indignation at Liam’s next words.  
“There’s a lot of people who don’t.”  
“ _What? Why?_ ”

“The general consensus is the inclusion of aliens in a historical theme.”  
“That was the best part!”  
He berated himself internally for the increased volume, the exclamation present. It was uncontrollable, though. It was outrageous to think someone could deny the brilliance of a movie, simply because the director and writers chose to mix genres. That didn’t make it any less incredible. That didn’t reduce its value.  
Liam’s smirk triggered the cursed heat he had become used to, to rise instantly.

“I never would have thought you’d be this passionate about a movie.”  
“Shut up.” Muttering. The usual, then.  
“Aw, don’t be shy.”  
“ _Liam_.”  
“You’re adorable when you blush.”  
His heart skipped a beat, and he _desperately_ fought to subdue the increased pace, itching to give him away. Don’t overreact. Don’t read into it. Liam didn’t mean it like that. Just _relax._

”Do you _have_ to enjoy this, so much?”  
“It’s hard not to.” The laughter continued, his cheeks darkening further.  
“Will you please stop?”  
“You do realise how unusual it is to see you flustered, right? Even though it’s becoming increasingly more frequent, it’ll never get old.”

“Is it too late to run?”  
Another burst of laughter filled the room. A sharp crack of delight. Why was he so drawn to Liam’s laugh? Why was he reeled in, despite being the target of said amusement?  
“You’re well past the point of no return.”  
“Can we just change the topic?” He never thought he’d be so immersed in a movie, either, but hey, life is full of surprises. He never thought he’d be friends with Liam and Stiles, and yet, here they are.

“Alright, fine. We have to go anyway.”  
Wait, what? “Where are we going?”  
“Mason’s. He and Corey want to catch up.”  
They wanted to hang out? Of their own free will? No strings attached?  
“I know what you’re thinking, Theo.”  
He’d heard that a lot lately. He wasn’t sure if it was good or not. It was confusing, to say the least.  
“You were specifically invited.”  
His surprise reached new heights, eyebrows rising as far as possible.

“Come on. They’re waiting for us.”  
There was no time to respond, before Liam was _literally_ dragging him downstairs. His protests that he could, in fact, walk, went unanswered. Under a minute later, they were in the truck and on the street.

~

Something wasn’t right. He didn’t know what it was, or why he was so sure, but there was something strange about the house. Nothing was out of place. Nothing showed any obvious signs of trouble. So, why then did he feel like this wasn’t what everyone claimed? It felt like he was being led into a trap. He didn’t know why, and with no way of knowing what he’d find once inside, he wasn’t sure he wanted to.  
Knocking, he waited, heart threatening to tear through his chest with its rapid pace. Okay, maybe he was being a _little_ dramatic, but anything could be waiting behind those doors.

A scuffling caught his attention, followed by the hitch of breath beyond those walls. The distinct scent of nervous energy, mixed with anticipation assaulted him. It was so overwhelming, so sudden, he nearly stumbled back from shock.

It was far from a pleasurable combination, and definitely not one he liked. The part he was most worried about was the anticipation. Experience had taught him, that level of excitement was never good.

When the door finally opened, he was seconds away from running. It seemed to be his default reaction lately. The thought of confrontation alone, was enough to make him sick. The prospect of actually _facing_ whatever was inside, left him physically shaking. A visible display of his fear. Liam kindly remained silent on the subject, choosing instead to intertwine their hands. A habit he was quickly becoming dependent upon.

A light squeeze later, and they were standing in the hallway. The dark hallway. It wasn’t only this one room, though. Every light appeared to be off. It did little to ease his concerns.  
Stepping forward, Mason spoke merrily, guiding them to the lounge without a care in the world. Oh, what he’d do to be in the same position. To be free of the thoughts sending his mind spiralling.

That’s it. He can’t do this. He didn’t know what was coming, but he wasn’t prepared to stay and find out. He wasn’t about to be led into the confines of that small room. Not when he just _knew_ something was waiting for him in there.

He made it all of one step back before the lights flared to life, and a chorus of shouts erupted. The abrupt onslaught of sensory stimuli, sent him reeling backwards. The hand in his barely supported him in that moment of pure fright, and he fell in a heap on the floor. A scream tore past his lips, eyes frantic.  
“Surprise!”

The Pack. The _entire_ Pack was here. How had he missed that? How did he miss the extra heartbeats? Sure, he’d been distracted, but could he have really disregarded the most obvious cue? The one which would have told him _immediately_ , that there were more people present than he’d been informed of. He really needed to regain his senses. This was becoming dangerously unobservant.

Heart pounding in his chest, he stared at the shocked and grinning faces in front of him. Scott, Stiles, Lydia, Derek... they were all here. The only one’s missing were Malia and Peter. A vast spread of food lay strewn across a table to the side; he vaguely registered his favourite candy bar amongst them. Even now, he still _loved_ goo goo clusters.

Nothing could beat the taste of chocolate, caramel, peanut and marshmallow nougat rolled into one. Not that he got to eat them. Given his financial situation, and all. He hadn’t had one since _long_ before the Dread Doctors.  
The most astonishing element of all, though, was the large banner. Hung perfectly along the back wall, it read ‘Welcome To The Pack, Theo’.

His heartbeat slowly returned to a regular rhythm; no longer threatening to give out any second. The utter disbelief he felt however, wasn’t going anywhere. Gaze flickering between one Pack member to the next, he couldn’t quite come to terms with what he was seeing.

“Good to see Liam can keep a secret.” Stiles called merrily. Much to Liam’s annoyance. The offended ‘Hey!’ was evidence enough. It only added to Stiles’ delight, when Liam crossed his arms and those beautiful blue eyes narrowed. “Sorry, Liam, but we all thought you’d tell Theo as soon as you got home.”  
“I told you I wouldn’t. I don’t tell Theo everything.”

That gave him a ledge to cling to; a lifeline to pull himself back to the present. It also raised the question, “You don’t?”  
“No, Theo. I don’t tell you every single thought I have. Besides, it was supposed to be a surprise. I wasn’t going to ruin that, by telling you beforehand.”

Stiles just laughed again, before uttering, “Not an entire lie.” It was followed by a startled shout, as a cushion hit the side of Stiles’ head. Don’t ask how Liam managed to reach a cushion, when they were on the opposite side of the room, without anyone seeing. Maybe he wasn’t the only one distracted.

“You- you did this for me?” It still felt like a strange dream. It felt too good to be true.  
Scott stepped forward, offering a hand to help him up. It hadn’t even occurred to him, that he was still lying on the floor.

“It’s time you know you’re a part of the Pack, Theo. We should have done this years ago. I honestly thought you knew. I didn’t realise...” Scott broke off, apparently lost in thought for a moment. “If I’d known you thought you weren’t, I would have told you sooner. I said this the other day, but I’ll say it again. You’re Pack, Theo. Nothing’s going to change that.”

Everyone mirrored the earnest expression Scott maintained. It didn’t waver. Didn’t falter for so much as the blink of an eye. There wasn’t a trace of deception to be seen, and he didn’t know what to say. Scott meant every word, and that meant more to him than he could have imagined.

“Thank you.”  
What else could he say? There were no words to describe his gratitude. Nothing that could adequately capture the true extent of his emotions, right now. Not once had he thought it possible. It had always felt like an impossible dream. It turns out, the Pack were more willing to forgive than he’d realised.

It was a massive relief to know they weren’t opposed to his presence. Knowing they didn’t want him to leave town, or pretend they had never met was everything to him. The realisation he wasn’t their enemy anymore was enough to bring him to tears. Not that he let them surface. Being seen by Scott in such a state after Malia’s attack, was embarrassing on its own. He really didn’t want to think about the entire Pack seeing.

From there, the night progressed rather well. It was an amazing feeling to be able to just spend the day with everyone. No attachments. No hidden agendas. No unforeseen reasons. Just a group of friends in a room together. No responsibilities. No expectations. Completely carefree for the first time in years.

It turns out Malia hadn’t wanted to celebrate his place in the Pack. According to Scott, she wasn’t planning on tracking him down anytime soon, but she wasn’t prepared to sing his praises, either. That was fine by him. He was in no rush to face her.

Stiles remembered all of his favourite foods. Cookies, watermelon, french fries and lasagna. Someone had actually gone to the effort of _making lasagna_. He couldn’t believe they’d put so much thought into this. Discussions of schooling. Playful bantering. Developing plans for the future. He was able to avoid most questions involving his own intentions. Some cut a little too close to home, but he managed to stay clear of giving too much away.

Despite that, this was the most fun he’d had in years. If he were being honest, it was probably the most fun he’d had in his life. A few hours in, he decided to take a step back and just watch. To simply enjoy the company of those he could now call friends. Somewhere along the way, Lydia thought to join him.  
“Are you enjoying yourself?”  
“I am, actually. More than I thought I would.” Well, more than he thought he could, at least.

“You deserve it.”  
His heart skipped a beat, automatically. It was beyond his control. She couldn’t mean...  
“You deserve to be happy.”  
The heavy exhale served to calm his nerves. She meant the party...  
“I’ll admit I didn’t picture this.”

“So, I was supposed to ask you. Back at the warehouse, was Belladonna insinuating you were a girl at one point?”  
There goes that cursed cringe. He’d been hoping Lydia wouldn’t remember that. He should have known better than to think Lydia would forget anything.  
 _“That’s_ why you and Liam were at ‘Bras Of Life’.”

He really needed to find a way to hide the constant darkening of his skin.  
“Why didn’t you say anything? I could have helped you choose one.”  
Lydia was sincere, which only made his grimace worse. He could see it already, and he wanted nothing to do with it. “No offence, Lydia, but that’s the last thing I wanted.” It was clear she had a retort. He hadn’t even finished speaking, when that was made clear.  
“You could have used someone with personal experience to guide you. Someone who could have given you advice on which bras to buy.”

Please let this conversation end. It was becoming increasingly uncomfortable. “I really wasn’t looking to become one with that body.” Deep breath. It was over. That was in the past. Your body is yours. _It’s yours_. There’s nothing to be concerned about. “Besides, it’s not like I could have said anything in the middle of a crowded store. Not to mention the fact _Malia_ was there.”

He fought back the shiver creeping up his spine. Just because he couldn’t control this incessant blush, _didn’t_ mean he had to make his embarrassment any more obvious.  
“Okay, I see your point. Next time though, I expect you to tell me. You have my number. Use it.”

Forget control. His entire body shuddered at that. He cringed and tried his best to ignore the heat trailing down his neck. The most confronting part, was that he was almost _used_ to the heat. He was almost used to his body betraying his emotions. “There better _not_ be a next time.”

When Lydia went to ask Stiles about the FBI, he took a moment to regroup. For all its awkward and embarrassing memories, the conversation provided him some peace. They were here. For him. They were all willing to help him. To _protect_ him. Despite everything, the Pack were there for him.

_His_ Pack.


	14. Theo

It was a few days later, and he was still at Liam’s. On one hand, he’d virtually moved in. It was a dangerous thought, and one he shouldn’t entertain. It wasn’t true. He knew that. He wasn’t foolish enough to believe this could actually be his home. No matter how much Liam, Jenna and David had done for him, that would be too much. Even if they would, he couldn’t ask that of them.

He had to leave soon. There was too much at risk. He had too much to lose. The support he’d received during his stay had been vital. The nightmares hadn’t stopped. It would be naive to think they had. They _had_ however, diminished in frequency and intensity.  
Having someone to rely on, to _lean on_ , was the only reason he was still standing. Without Liam and his parents, he’d have broken long ago.

Enjoy it while it lasts, they say. He would savour every second he had here. He had just arrived back, after spending the morning at the bowling alley. Reliving the positive memories from his childhood was an amazing feeling. No one knew why, but he’d always had a talent for bowling. Every game he played, he came out in front. This time was no different. The best part was Liam’s expression.

A mix of irritation and that of someone who had been impressed. Sparking that adorable and passionate wick one could never quite extinguish, gave him joy. He took great pleasure in the pride Liam exuded over every victory. It was a wonderful feeling to know he was the reason for that uncontainable smile.

He had always been good at bowling. It came naturally. Ice skating however, did not.  
He was the furthest one could be from capable on the ice. There was not one fond memory to be had, and he absolutely _refused_ to step foot on the rink. No matter how many times Liam asked. The beta seemed determined to convince him, but it was an impossible mission. He wouldn’t do it. He just wouldn’t.  
“Come on, Theo. Just one time.”  
“I said no, Liam.”

“It’ll be fun! The entire Pack will be there!”

All the more reason to stay far away.  
“Nothing about ice skating can be deemed _fun_.” He would not budge. Not this time. This was one disagreement Liam would not win. Pushing the door to his bedroom open, he stood in the centre of the room, arms crossed, staring at Liam. Liam, who just _wouldn’t give up_.  
“What is your problem with skating?”  
“I don’t like moving in circles. I’m not a child. It’s pointless. Do you need more reasons, or is that enough?”

“No one said anything about circles. Have you seen what some people can do? It’s _incredible_. Even if someone was to merely cross the rink, what’s so bad about that?”  
Liam wasn’t prepared to give up. Honestly, he didn’t think the beta understood the meaning of those two words. Nor did he, usually. Now, though, he wished Liam would take the hint.

“I am not wasting hours of my life, participating in something so frivolous.” He wouldn’t do it. End of story.  
A glimmer of thought flickered in those deep blue irises, and it was a look he’d come to know well. It was the same one Liam always had, when planning something. Given the context, he wasn’t thrilled to bear witness to it.

“You’re hiding something.”  
He blinked once. Twice. Three times. Still processing the statement. It was voiced with such certainty, as though there was no chance of being mistaken. It was an unsettling perception to have, to be seen as an open book. One with pages missing. What was worse, was that Liam was right.  
“I’m not hiding anything.” Just because it was true, doesn’t mean he was about to admit as much.

“Don’t give me that. You and I both know you’re lying. What’s the real reason you don’t want to go?” The focused gaze created the notion Liam could see into his soul. Almost as if with one look, all his secrets would be revealed.  
“Nothing.”  
“Theo.”  
Where was his ability to mask his chemosignals, when he needed it? Why could he no longer cover his heartbeat? For the most part, he didn’t mind. It provides the chance to truely connect with the Pack. Right now however, he wished he still knew how to activate it.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”  
“So, there is something?”  
“Yes, now drop it.”  
“Oh, no. You can’t just tell me that, and then not say anything. You have to tell me what it is.”  
It’s Beacon Hills, and he’s _Theo Raeken_. Why did he ever think this would go his way? Liam was nothing, if not obsessive.

“I’m not telling you. Now, let it go.”  
“How bad could it possibly be? I’m guessing you slipped and fell?”  
He scoffed. If _only_ , that was all. “No.”  
“What else could it be? That’s _literally_ the only problem you could have had.”

You know what? He didn’t need to be told what could and couldn’t have happened. _He_ was there. He knows _exactly_ what happened, and how embarrassing it was. Being reminded of it, didn’t help.  
“How old were you?”  
“Eight.”  
“Morning or night?”  
What was this? An interrogation? “Night.”  
“Were you alone?”  
“No, and frankly, I’m tired of all the questions.”

“Who were you with?”  
Of course. Liam wanted to know what he was hiding, and the best way to do that was to gain information. Piece the mystery together, one step at a time. Not only that, but he’d just given away the most important part.  
“It doesn’t matter.”  
“Clearly, it does. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be scared.”  
Oh, no, Liam didn’t. Liam did _not_ just call him scared. He’d admit there had been more than a few occasions lately, where he was. Some more than others, but he was _not_ , under _any_ circumstances, afraid of ice skating. He just didn’t want to go.

“There’s nothing to consider here, Liam. I’m not interested. It’s as simple as that. You won’t change my mind, so just stop.”  
“Not until you tell me why you hate it so much.”  
This boy was going to be the death of him. Honestly. Was there no end to the interrogation? Was there no end to the obsession with every little detail of his life? He wouldn’t be told what to do. Not this time. It was his decision, and he wasn’t interested in sharing the details. Unfortunately, Liam had other plans in mind, and his vocal answer wasn’t required.

“Seriously, what could you have done? It’s not like you embarrassed yourself in front of someone you liked.”  
That’s all it took to send a burning heat across his body. He turned away, but the damage was already done. His reaction was painfully obvious.  
“No way. You did.”  
“You could _try_ not to sound so pleased about it.” He didn’t care if he was muttering, and he _definitely_ didn’t care how petulant his tone was. Seconds into learning the truth, (minus the details), Liam was entertained. This is why he hadn’t wanted to talk about it.

“What? I’m not- why would you think-”  
“I can see it in your expression. It’s not hard to know you find this hilarious.”  
“You’re an idiot.”  
Wow. Just what he wanted to hear. Who _wouldn’t_ want to be insulted, after being laughed at? It was perfectly natural.  
“I didn’t mean it was funny. I just didn’t realise that’s what this was about.”  
He’d rather it wasn’t. He would have preferred almost anything to _that_. Just picturing that day... he wanted to be far away. Anywhere that didn’t contain an ice floor.

“How bad are we talking? On a scale of one to ten?”  
They were doing this, then. He was really talking about this. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he muttered under his breath. A few deep breaths later, and he finally found the courage to speak.  
“Based on that scale, ten. It felt a lot worse, though. I didn’t know it was possible to be so embarrassed. It was the first time I’d been in a situation like that, and apparently I made it count.” Liam actually appeared sympathetic. Maybe he had read into the beta’s earlier reaction. Maybe he had overreacted.

”Do you mind if I ask what it was?” When he cringed, Liam rushed to continue. “You don’t have to. In fact, forget I said anything.”  
“It’s fine.” He let himself fall back onto the bed, eyes closed as he pulled the pillow over his face. He could at least pretend the outside world didn’t exist. Maybe this way, he could pretend the day never happened. “Promise you won’t laugh?  
“I promise.” The complete sincerity in Liam’s voice, gave him the push he needed to continue.

“Scott and Stiles invited me to go skating in third grade. What they didn’t tell me, was that Blaine would be there. They _knew_ I liked him, and they _knew_ how shy I was around him. Had I known, I never would have agreed to go. Which is exactly why they left me in the dark.  
“Especially considering the last time I went, was when I was six. Two years is a long time without practice. I was never great to begin with, so I’m sure you can imagine where this is going.”

Liam seemed to be both sympathetic and confused. Sympathetic from the moment he mentioned being blindsided by Blaine turning up, and confused at the course of events. The reason for that was made clear a moment later. “You said you didn’t fall.”  
“Yeah, well. I did. I just wish it ended there.”  
Liam cringed in anticipation. Even without knowing what came next, it was all too obvious it wasn’t going to be good.

“Scott, Stiles and Blaine couldn’t wait to be on the ice. They rushed out, making their way to the centre of the rink. I stood back, just watching, until Blaine called to me. Asking me to join them. Using every inch of courage I had, I stepped away from the wall and slowly edged my way closer to them. One step at a time.

”It was going well, until I was halfway over and an older boy came barrelling past. He didn’t stop. He didn’t so much as swerve to avoid the collision. No, he just continued straight for me, yelling at me to get out of the way. I tried, but it meant moving faster, and I wasn’t prepared for that. The sudden lurch forward, caused me to lose balance. I couldn’t regain my grip on the ice; my feet sliding sideways as I stumbled across the rink. There was no way I could avoid falling.

“Stiles and Blaine tried to catch me, and it might have worked, if they didn’t both get there at the same time.”

He swallowed at Liam’s encouraging gaze. He could do this. Breathe, and just say the words. It wasn’t that hard. Except that it was.  
“Blaine grabbed my arms for support, whilst Stiles reached for my waist. Again, it might have worked, had it not been for my leg skidding. I accidentally knocked Stiles’ leg, causing him to stumble. He didn’t fall, but his hands slipped lower, and he caught my pants, instead.”  
Liam visibly winced.

“So, there I was, sprawled across the ice, having pulled Blaine down with me, in my underwear.” He swallowed against the lump forming in his throat.  
“Theo...” Liam’s response faded to nothing, unsure of what to say. What does one say to something like that?  
“The guy who caused it just laughed. Blaine and Stiles helped me up, and as soon as I could get my pants back on, I fled. Awkwardly, of course, what with the ice, but I ran the moment I hit solid ground. Non-frozen, solid ground. I hid in the bathrooms, and refused to come out. It took _hours_ for Scott and Stiles to convince me leave the stall. As kind as he was about the whole scene, I could never face Blaine again.”

“You weren’t kidding.”  
“I _told_ you it was embarrassing.” The whine slipped out before he could prevent it.  
“I’m sorry. I didn’t- I didn’t think...”  
“Okay, no. We are _not_ doing this. I am _not_ having this conversation with you.”  
“Theo-”  
“Liam, just leave it alone.”  
“I know it’s hard-”  
“ _Liam_.”  
“-but you can’t let one incident alter your view of the experience as a whole.”  
“I am _not_ going back out there.”  
“You might like it.”

Wishful thinking. A level of positivity he wasn’t prepared to deal with, right now.  
“What if I embarrass myself again?! I can’t go through that. Not again. Not for a second time.” Liam didn’t respond. Rather, the beta stared at him. Incessantly. Describing it as extremely uncomfortable, would be an understatement. “What?” Nothing. “Why are you looking at me like that?” _Still_ nothing. The only way this could be any creepier, is if Liam stopped blinking.  
“ _Liam!_ ”

“Do you like someone?”  
Do not blush. Do _not_ blush. For goodness sakes, _don’t blush_. “What?” It took every ounce of restraint he possessed, to ensure his voice didn’t waver.  
“If you’re worried about a repeat of that day, and it was embarrassing because Blaine was there, does that mean you like someone?”  
Shit. Shit, shit, _shit_.  
Why did he _ever_ bring this up? Oh, right. Liam. This was not supposed to happen. No one was supposed to know. No one was supposed to find out. _Least_ of all, Liam.  
“Is this a joke?”

“You know full well, I’m serious. Now, answer the question.”  
He doesn’t know. There’s no _way_ Liam could know. “I meant in regards to the Pack. Embarrassing myself in front of your friends-” The raised eyebrow, made him revise his word choice. “- _our_ friends, isn’t much better.”

“You know you can tell me. If you do.”  
“Seriously, Liam. Who do you think this supposed _mystery person_ is?”  
“I don’t know. Stiles?”  
He nearly choked on the air alone. “ _What?!_ ”  
“You’ve been spending a lot of time together, lately. You laugh when he’s around. It’s not that strange to think you might.”

“ _I don’t like Stiles_.”  
“Okay, okay. Forget I asked.”  
He needed to be extra careful from now on. The last thing he wanted, was to give Liam any more reasons to question his love life. It wouldn’t take much to track his interest to its source.

The rest of the night was spent alone, hidden in his room. Quiet and reserved. More so than usual. Eventually, he came out for dinner, but didn’t say much. Liam left him to his own devices, respecting his need for space. An enormous relief, in and of itself.  
He knew there were questions from Jenna and David. The abrupt shift in attitude was startling. He could understand there confusion, but he needed time. He needed a moment to himself. He eased off the next day, but still remained careful in what he said.

He couldn’t risk Liam finding out.


	15. Malia

She can’t believe she was actually doing this. Don’t even _mention_ the fact she had to bring Scott with her. What was she going to do? Kill him? Okay, maybe she’d threatened to in the past, but she said she wouldn’t. Surely, Scott could trust her. Just because Theo wasn’t her favourite person, didn’t mean she’d lie. If she wanted to kill him, she’d say so.

Apparently, one unplanned appearance at Liam’s house, was enough to earn her required supervision. So, she may have been a little vocal in her feelings for Theo, and _yes_ , it had turned into a confrontation, but that didn’t warrant these precautions. Not that anyone cared for her opinion, on the matter. She didn’t have a choice.

The sooner this was done, the better.


	16. Theo

How?  
 _How_ did he end up giving Mason, Corey and Liam a lift home? Classes had finished early; one of the few days they were at college at the same time, and their means of getting home were inaccessible. At least, most were. Mason and Corey’s cars were in being serviced. How could they both crash? On the _same day_? Liam, of course, didn’t drive. Why else would his truck have been commandeered by the beta, during his time as a nine-year-old?

The next logical conclusion, it would seem, was for him to drive over and pick them up. Why not? It’s not like he had anything better to do. It might be true that he mostly stayed at the house, without travelling around the town. It was easier there. He felt safe again. Protected. He’d venture out to see Stiles and the Pack, at times, but he always came back. He always returned.

He rather enjoyed spending his days with Liam’s parents. Both when only one was home, as well as when both Jenna and David were present. There may have been many occasions he’s spent with them, just talking about whatever came to mind. Answering almost any question they had without hesitation.

Then there were the nights he’d wake up screaming. Too afraid to stay in ‘his’ room. Too ashamed to talk to Liam. It was those nights that he’d find himself in the kitchen, water in hand, surrounded by Liam’s parents. Jenna would soothe his rising guilt and ease his racing heart. David would reassure him that he was safe. Neither expected him to talk about what he’d seen. Neither ever asked about his nightmares.

Not because they didn’t care; no, it was quite the opposite. They cared enough to let him choose whether he shared the details. He wasn’t sure he could do that. He might never be able to tell them; to tell _anyone_ else. Sharing it with Liam had been hard enough; going through the same with someone else... He didn’t think he could, and that was fine. They never expected anything from him.

Back to the point at hand, though. Here he was, truck full, nearing Liam’s house. Mason and Corey were talking about some movie they wanted to see, and Liam was trying to convince him to go with them. Not that he needed convincing.  
There was no reason to miss it.

Especially when it meant more time with Liam and his friends. It was beginning to feel less strange, thinking of Mason and Corey as his friends. Being part of the Pack was beginning to feel natural. As if he’d always been there. As if he hadn’t fought to destroy them once.  
It was for that reason though, that he refused to take any of it for granted. He wouldn’t risk losing what he had. What he’d come to rely on.

Liam, Mason and Corey jumped out of the truck, as soon as he’d parked in the driveway. They were so excited to be here, and not in class, that they were practically tripping over their own feet, as they ran for the door. Liam, at least, had the thought of mind to wait for him. He, for one, wasn’t going to join in the stampede.

Rounding the truck, he could see Liam _literally_ bouncing in place. Did he mention how excited they were to be home? Laughing lightly, he nodded towards the door and a wide smile lit Liam’s face. A second later, the beta was bounding up the stairs and unlocking the front door. Shaking his head fondly, he finally made his way over.

Only to stop not even two seconds later.

“Theo.”  
His heart threatened to split from the pressure of maintaining its pace. His hands were shaking, and he fought to regain a shred of his composure. At the door, Liam, Mason and Corey had come to an abrupt halt, as well. Their earlier energy replaced with a defensive anger. A growl rose from Liam, eyes flashing gold, before rushing to his side.

Behind him, stood Malia. He hadn’t heard her, and it was becoming increasingly frustrating how much he missed. His feelings for Liam were blinding in intensity, and yet, he wouldn’t trade them for the world. He wouldn’t trade his feelings for the beta, even if it meant no one could sneak up on him. It was a new development, one he only now realised, but it didn’t retract from its validity.

He had yet to turn around, and he felt like his feet were frozen to the spot.  
“Don’t just stand there. Look at me.”  
He flinched at the anger in her voice; a reaction Liam did _not_ miss. Another growl. Another step closer. He felt the beta’s warmth, felt the calming presence.  
“ _Malia_.”

Scott. They were both here. She wasn’t alone. Maybe Scott could hold her back. Maybe.  
“She’s not here to hurt you, Theo.” Soft. Comforting. Scott was trying to ease his growing concern. To assure him he was safe. He appreciated the thought, but could anyone be sure of that, when Malia was involved? His silence prompted Scott to continue; this time firm, and very clearly not directed at him. “Isn’t that right?”

A beat of silence followed, before he heard an aggrieved sigh. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Oh, right, and we’re just supposed to believe you?” Liam wasn’t taking kindly to the unexpected visit.  
Mason and Corey weren’t happy, but they stayed on the porch. Watching. Alert. Prepared to step in, should the need arise. If only that need didn’t seem inevitable. Malia hated him, and he was scared. Too scared to turn around and face her.  
“Don’t you think I would have done something already, if I were?”

“You’re probably looking for a way to get to Theo, before we can stop you. Let me tell you now, that’s not going to happen.” Liam wouldn’t budge. Not once did the confidence waver. Not once did he lose contact. Liam was leaning against him now. Promising he wasn’t alone.  
“Like you could do anything.” Malia’s certainty caused him to flinch. Again. More than the first time. Even Scott noticed it.

“Malia. I won’t say it again.”  
“I’m not the one at fault here, Scott.” Malia’s irritation was palpable. She didn’t like being on the back foot. She didn’t like that they weren’t agreeing with her.  
“You’re the one insinuating you’re planning something.” Scott was far from accepting. It was clear in the tone used, and the way Scott wouldn’t back down. There was no hesitation. No leeway to be found.

“I _came_ here, didn’t I?”  
“That doesn’t excuse your attitude.”  
“What _more_ do you want?!”  
He listened to Scott’s deep breath. One he wasn’t used to hearing. He wasn’t used to Scott needing to centre himself. He wasn’t used to Scott getting worked up, and experiencing the need to calm down.

Especially when it involved the Pack.

“I want you to do what you said. I want you to stop making it worse.”  
“How?! Theo won’t even _look_ at me!”  
His heart skipped a beat at Scott’s next words. Despite being accepted into the Pack and their growing friendship, he hadn’t expected this.  
“Stop antagonising Theo, and maybe he would.”

The way Scott defended him so easily, as if he’d never given them a reason to doubt his loyalty, was incredible. It didn’t matter what Malia said. It didn’t matter what he did. Scott still took his side.  
“Alright!” Malia screamed. “Let’s just get this over with.”

The curtains in the neighbouring houses shifted, and he _knew_ they were being watched. After the last confrontation, he couldn’t blame them. They probably thought this would be a repeat of that scene. For all he knew, the Sheriff was probably receiving several calls as they spoke.

“What exactly do you want?” Liam answered for him. He still couldn’t bear turning to face Malia, let alone talking to her. As simple an action as it was, he felt exposed. He couldn’t afford to be vulnerable. Not here. Not now. Not when Malia was standing _right there_.

“To end all of this.”  
Five words. Five words that changed everything. In the blink of an eye, he was on the ground, crawling away from Malia. _Desperate_ to put space between them. Eyes never leaving hers. Mason and Corey sprinted to his side, stopping beside Liam. The three formed an impenetrable line of defence. They stood between him and Malia. Protecting him. Saving him.

Only Liam knew why. No one else, other than Jenna and David (who weren’t home), knew. Mason and Corey weren’t there that day. They didn’t know what had caused the sudden change. They didn’t know why Liam was so enraged. They didn’t know why _he_ was terrified.

None of that mattered, though. They didn’t know _why_ he was afraid, but they knew that he _was_. That was enough to send them to the forefront. It was enough for them to block Malia’s access to him.

Scott didn’t know, either, having arrived after the fight had started. Despite that, he witnessed the same trust as with Mason and Corey. He witnessed Scott leaping to his defence.  
“We’re leaving.”  
“No, we’re not.” Malia snapped.  
“ _Yes_ , we are. I don’t know what this is about, but we’re going.”

Scott was trying. He knew that; but Malia wasn’t backing down. The light in her eye never faded. The tension in her jaw never eased. Were it not for the curse, he was sure he’d have seen claws and glowing eyes, by now.  
“I didn’t do anything!”

“Malia. I agreed to bring you here to make this better, not worse. If you’re not going to play nice, then you can go.” Scott’s voice left no room to negotiate.  
Sadly, she wasn’t one to listen if she didn’t want to. Not when she felt wronged or determined. Which, unfortunately for him, covered everything about this situation.  
“I _said_ I wanted to end all of this!”

He paled. It looked like he might faint, any moment now. Eyes widening as far as they could, he swallowed. A wave of nausea turned his stomach upside down.  
“I’m giving you _one_ chance to get off my lawn, before I rip your throat out.” Liam growled.

“What is _wrong_ with all of you?!”  
“ _Us_? What is wrong with _us_?” Liam was clinging to a final fraying thread of restraint. It wouldn’t be long before that too snapped, and the beta lunged at Malia. He was too scared to do anything. He just sat there, unmoving. Watching. Terrified that she’d go through with the threat.  
“I _came_ here to end this, and you’re all being overprotective _idiots_.”

“That’s _it_!” Before he knew what was happening, Liam had moved. No longer standing as part of his human shield, Liam was in front of Malia. Scott had blocked the attack, but she didn’t even blink. She stared back, unfazed.  
“Liam. You need to calm down.” Scott continued before Liam could do more than glare at the words ‘calm down’. “I understand why you’re angry, and trust me, I am, too. I promise, we’re leaving.”

“Not until we’ve done what I came here to.” Malia just wouldn’t stop. This was it. This was where it all came crashing down. He knew it was too good to be true. He knew he never should have let himself hope. All hope ever did was break your heart.

“I’d listen to them if I were you, Malia.” It was Mason who spoke. Steady and determined. Unaffected by the sharp glare directed their way. Mason didn’t seem to care what Malia said or did. Not if it meant getting to him. “We won’t let you hurt, Theo. Testing us won’t turn out well for you.”  
“I _told you_! I’m here to end this!”  
“If you think I’m letting you _anywhere_ near Theo, you’ve lost your mind.” Liam was seething. Well and truely past anything he’d ever seen before.

“Why are you making such a big deal out of this?” Malia was riled up, and the situation was escalating. If she broke past them, if she was able to reach him... he was shaking.

His entire body had descended into an uncontrollable fit of anxiety. He was terrified at the thought that she might actually win. His blood ran cold at the thought of what would happen if she did.

“ _Why?_ Why do you think?! You have the nerve to stand there and _threaten_ Theo, _again_ , and you wonder _why_ we’re defending him?”

Malia huffed, _literally_. As if she was the one suffering. As if _she_ were the one being threatened. As if _they_ were in the wrong.  
“I’m not talking about that.”  
Liam, understandably, didn’t believe her. “I want you to leave. Now.”  
“I just want to talk!”  
Talk? About what?

“Yeah, right. Like you have anything to say to Theo. I’m not falling for that.”  
“ _Liam_.”  
Oh, no. That was probably the _worst_ thing Malia could do, right now. Liam never took kindly to being growled out. Not when he was already angry.  
“Oh, _that’s it!_ ” Scott’s hand on Liam’s shoulder, was the only reason Malia wasn’t currently on the ground.

“Can someone please tell me what this is about? When did Malia threaten Theo before?” Scott was confused and exhausted. It was clear in every slow mannerism; every tired sigh.  
“Why don’t you fill Scott in, Malia? Want to tell Scott what you said to Theo, _last time_ you came here?” Malia simply crossed her arms, defiantly. A fact which only served to further anger Liam. “Why don’t you tell Scott that you threatened to send Theo back?” The sharp inhale was a clear indication of Scott’s shock.  
“You _what_?”

“She said she’d found a spell that could send Theo to hell. Not only that, but she threatened to use it, unless we called Belladonna. Unless Belladonna agreed to remove the curse.”  
“ _Malia_.” Okay, now _Scott_ was furious. One look at Mason and Corey, told him they felt the same. “How could you?”

“None of you were doing anything to help me, so I decided to take matters into my own hands.” Malia stated it as if it made perfect sense. As if there were no other way. On one hand, maybe that was true. She needed Belladonna to revoke the curse, and that wouldn’t happen unless they either agreed or something forced her hand.  
That didn’t make it any easier, though.

“Do you _blame_ us?! Maybe if you stopped _threatening_ him all the time, we’d be inclined to help!” Liam shouted.  
“I’m not!” Malia screamed. It was an indignant and infuriated cry, but he noticed the hint of desperation and discomfort underneath. “I told you I’m here to _end this_!”  
“How?” Liam crossed his arms, eyes narrowed.

“Can I just talk to Theo? Alone?”  
It took him a moment to realise Liam was laughing. Humourless as it was, it was still there. “You’re joking, right? You don’t _seriously_ expect any of us to allow that?”  
“If I was going to use the spell, I’d have done it already. I’m here to fix this. Now, get out of my way.”  
“No. Not until you tell me what you want.” Liam refused to move. Refused to give so much as an inch.  
“I came to apologise!”

The yard was silent. No one spoke. No one moved. Mason and Corey shared looks of disbelief and shock. Liam’s gaze narrowed further, almost as though the beta were trying to dissect Malia. To establish her true motives. Scott... well, Scott appeared hopeful. There was no trace of shock or suspicion. No sign of wariness.

_Scott had known._ That’s why he was here. Scott had said he ‘agreed to bring [her] here to make this better’. Scott knew she wanted to apologise, or at least, that she claimed to.  
He, on the other hand, didn’t _know_ what to believe. He wanted to believe her. He wanted _so_ badly to believe that this could be over. That Malia wouldn’t come after him, but it seemed impossible. He’d already experienced so many good elements of life. He’d already found what he never thought he could. He’d found a family. He had his friends.

Could he _really_ find peace? Could he _really_ be allowed to live without the constant need to watch his back? Could he _really_ trust Malia not to take it all away?

“Is she serious, Scott?”  
Liam was just as hesitant. Neither of them were prepared to just take her at face value.  
“Yes. It’s why the Sheriff let her out straight away. It was either this, or she had to wait forty eight hours.”  
So, maybe this wasn’t that surprising, after all. It wasn’t about him, at all. It was about Malia’s freedom. This was beginning to make a lot more sense, now.

“Fine.” Liam’s hard tone brought him back to the scene unfolding before him. It brought him back to the people surrounding him. “Then do it.”  
“Not with all of you here.” Malia stood her ground. The idea of being alone with her... he shivered. He didn’t want to be _anywhere_ near her. Not without someone to keep him safe.  
“Either you apologise here, or you go home. No one is leaving you alone with Theo. So, decide.”

He watched the intense standoff for a moment. Neither backing down. Neither yielding.  
That is, until Liam spoke. “Let’s go, Theo.”  
Liam made his way over; Mason and Corey following. Once Liam had reached his spot on the ground, he was offered a hand. One he took without a second thought. Back on his feet, he wrapped his arms around himself for support. For comfort. It wasn’t until they were almost to the door, that Malia finally spoke.  
“Okay!”

They stopped, but didn’t turn around.  
“Alright, I’ll do it.” It was muttered, and begrudgingly permitted, but he heard it nonetheless.  
Cautiously, he turned around. Their eyes met, and he wanted nothing more than to run. To be hidden behind those four walls. To be anywhere else. He couldn’t go closer; couldn’t put himself in anymore danger than he was already.  
Liam stood to his right, yet slightly ahead of him, just in case. Mason and Corey were nearby, as well; Mason, on his left, and Corey behind.

“I’m sorry.” The words sounded forced, robotic. It was as if it were a programmed response. Designed by an unknown person. Malia, on the other hand, looked as though she were about to be sick. Almost as if the words were too much to bear.  
“Try again.”  
“This has nothing to do with you, Liam.” Malia spat. Furious and irritable.  
“This has _everything_ to do with me. It has everything to do with all of us. Everyone, that is, except you. Unlike you, we’re here to help Theo, and that half-assed apology doesn’t count.”

“What more do you want from me?!”  
“How about something sincere? Something that doesn’t sound like you read it in an instruction manual.”  
Malia glared for a moment, before shifting in place. Her discomfort obvious. She was very deliberately ignoring the fact, that all eyes were on her.  
“I’m sorry, Theo. I shouldn’t have taken advantage of you like that.”  
That... actually didn’t sound programmed.  
“Is that all?” Corey prompted. Much to Malia’s frustration.

“I was wrong.” He never thought he’d hear those words. Not from Malia. Not when it concerned him. “I never should have tried to use the curse against you. I never should have attacked you.” She stopped to take a deep breath, shifting more than before. “I never should have said that. About hell.”  
She was telling the truth. Malia really was sorry. It was obvious she didn’t like him; nothing had changed on that front, but she wasn’t actively trying to kill him, anymore. He could live with that. _Literally_.

Swallowing, he worked up the courage to nod.  
“You had no right to say any of that.” Liam fumed.  
“That’s _why_ I apologised.”  
“How could you sink so low? How could you threaten something so _vicious_?”  
“No one would help me!” Malia screamed. It was angry; that much was obvious, but more than that, it was hurt. _She_ was hurt.  
“Maybe because of how you treated Theo!”  
“So, that means I have to stay like this? You’re willing to leave me _like this_? _Forever_?”

Liam huffed. “No, not forever, Malia. Just until you understand what it’s like. Until you understand how Theo felt.”  
“You think I don’t?!”  
“Considering what you’ve put him through, no, I don’t.” Liam sounded so sure. Like there was no doubt in his mind.  
“Of course, I understand! You trapped me in the Sheriff’s patrol car! I couldn’t _move!_ Do you have any idea how long it takes to drive to the station? Do you have any idea what it’s like being confined to a cell? Do you have _any idea_ what it’s like being forced to listen to only _you and your parents_?”

He watched silently as Liam lost some of his fight. The anger fuelling him begun to ebb away. Not completely, but it dropped in intensity.  
“No, and I’m sorry for that. I shouldn’t have prevented you from listening to the others. I shouldn’t have controlled you like that, but I was _furious_. I did it to protect Theo. You did it to _hurt_ Theo. You wanted to _manipulate_ and _embarrass_ him.” It was clear Liam didn’t want to apologise, even though Liam meant every word.

His heart stilled momentarily as Malia’s gaze landed on him again.  
“I really am sorry, Theo. I...” Malia looked away before continuing. She refused to meet his eyes while she spoke. “I was the same. To an extent.”  
This wasn’t what he’d been prepared for. How was Malia the same as him? He couldn’t believe she was actually comparing herself to him. Nor could Mason and Corey, judging by their wide eyed stares.

“I killed my family. Accidentally, of course.”  
Guilt hit hard at the reminder. He wasn’t surprised that she made sure to make the distinction. It was true, though. He had known exactly what he’d been doing. That’s why it hurt, so much.  
“I might not like it, but you and I aren’t that different. I may not have turned into a killer like you,” (he really wished she’d stop making such pointed comments), “but I was trying to survive. So were you.”

He may have expected her to cling to their differences, but what he _didn’t_ expect, was for her to acknowledge his desperation. His _fundamental need_ to survive. The truth was, the Dread Doctors would have killed him had he refused. It wasn’t easy to say no to such dangerous people. If they could be called people.  
“I’m sorry. You should know that.”

“O-okay.” He bit his lip, drawing a little blood, before remembering his promise to Liam. His promise not to inflict harm upon himself. Small as it was, he knew that included intentionally cutting his lip. Taking a deep breath, he steadied his voice and continued. “Thank you.”  
“So, does this mean you’ll stop harassing Theo, now? Are you going to let him live in peace?” Liam chimed in.  
Malia wasn’t impressed with the interruption, but she answered nonetheless. “I’m not going to lie and say I like you. We all know I don’t.”

Well, at least she’s honest.  
“That said, no. I won’t attack you.”  
The relief was immense. Although, it was interrupted by her next five words.  
“Unless you ask for it.”  
An obvious threat as it were, he wasn’t too concerned. Not about this one. He had no intention of doing anything to warrant being attacked. Their definitions of cause and provoking someone may differ, but in this case, it was black and white. Don’t harm the Pack or the town, and she’d leave him alone.

He could live with that.


	17. Theo

He was so tired.  
Absolutely exhausted.  
The run in with Malia had used every last drop of energy he had. He still couldn’t believe that happened. Not once had he thought he’d see Malia apologise. The words ‘I won’t attack you’, kept playing in his mind. They were like a broken record. By the time Malia and Scott left, he could barely hold himself up.

Leaning against Liam, he made it into the house, followed by Mason and Corey. The stairs were difficult to climb, but eventually they made it to ‘his’ room. Lying down, he was too tired to question it, when Liam laid down beside him. Now, that in itself, may not have been that out of character, but Mason and Corey following was.

He didn’t speak as they pressed closer. There was barely any room, resulting in a cramped space, and yet, he didn’t mind. In any other situation, he’d have told them to get out, but here and now, he didn’t want them to leave. It was almost as though they knew that, with the way Corey shifted closer still.

He found it strangely comforting. In a way, he never would have thought possible.

~

The next night was the same.


	18. Theo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is for Grylyn, who asked not once, not twice, but three times for this to occur. How could I not write it, now? 😉😄
> 
> I hope you like it. 😄

It became a routine, almost. An integral element of the experience. For the group. You couldn’t find one without it. He’d been deeply confused and a little concerned at the start, but it grew on him. It became less startling and more calming. It shifted from random and unexpected to their usual behaviour.

It begun to serve as a quick, effective way of settling his nerves. No matter how difficult the day had been, one touch and it all slipped away. It was a sense of peace, carrying with it a certain way of quieting his demons, that he’d thought impossible.

Ever since Malia’s apology, every movie night was the same. You couldn’t find them any other way, now. They radiated closeness. Contact was essential. Their positions changed slightly, but not much. It stayed relatively the same. Usually, he could be found lying on the couch, with Liam at the other end, mirroring his position. Their legs overlapped in the process.

Mason and Corey sat on the floor, both on his half of the couch, backs pressed against the base. Mason placed an arm along the edge of the seat, arm leaning his own. Corey’s arm would rest on the other side, pressed against his leg. He didn’t know why, and he didn’t need to. He decided in that moment, that he wasn’t going to question the good parts of his life, anymore. If they were bound to be taken away, he didn’t want to know.

He wanted to enjoy them while he could, and that’s what he planned to do.


	19. Malia

Finally.  
Liam had (reluctantly) released her from his limited control. She no longer had to obey everything he and his parents said. Which, considering how much they disliked her right now, was an enormous relief.

She still can’t believe she had to apologise to Theo, _in front of_ Liam, Mason and Corey. She should have known they’d make her do it publicly. She should have known they’d make it even more uncomfortable, than it already was.

She supposed Liam had apologised to her. Technically. He’d said the words, and she had no doubt he meant them, but it felt rehearsed. It didn’t feel like enough. She’d given an entire speech, and barely convinced them she was sincere. Liam however, seemed to just brush it off. One quick statement, and that’s it.

It didn’t seem fair.

Scott hadn’t said anything the entire ride back, and she wasn’t sure what to say. She didn’t know how to break the silence. By the time they pulled up in Scott’s driveway, he climbed out and waited for her to do the same. As soon as she closed her door, she heard the lock enable and watched as Scott walked away. Not one word since they’d left Liam’s.

Inside, she stood in the hallway as he made his way to the stairs. Enough was enough.  
“Are you really going to just ignore me?”  
Scott stopped, but didn’t turn back. Not at first. He was standing at the base of the stairs, one hand on the banister, taking a deep breath. Only then, did he turn and face her.  
“I don’t know what to say, Malia.”

“Why are you angry? I did what I said I would. I said I’d apologise, and I did. I never touched Theo.”  
Why was Scott sighing? Why was he rubbing his forehead? If anyone should be stressed, it’s her.  
“You threatened to send Theo to hell, Malia. _Hell._ Do you have any idea how cruel that is? How _wrong_ that is?”

“I was trying to make Belladonna break the curse!”  
“By terrifying Theo?” Scott wasn’t happy, nor was he impressed.  
Okay, maybe it was harsh, but it’s not like anyone was willing to help her. Tough times call for tough decisions. Sure, it hadn’t been that tough for her, but she had no choice.  
“What was I supposed to do, Scott? Just sit around and wait? Hope that one day, someone would decide to fix it? That someone would help?”

Yeah, not going to happen.  
“You could have apologised from the start. You could have _listened_. This entire situation is a result of how you’ve been treating Theo, and yet your solution was to scare Theo even more. Do you know how unfair that is?”  
“You want to talk about unfair? What about me?! The Pack won’t talk to me. Stiles won’t talk to me. _You_ abandoned me!”

Scott just sighed. How could he sigh at a time like this?  
“I didn’t abandon you, Malia. You’re safe here.”  
Was he serious? Is that really what he thinks this is about? “I’m not talking about living at your house, Scott. I’m talking about the way you just left. The way you told me you wouldn’t do anything. You decided I could stay like this, and just _left_.”

This time, she noticed a trace of regret, but it may as well have been drowned out by the disappointment.  
“I’m sorry, Malia. I am. I didn’t want to do that, but nothing I said made a difference. You weren’t interested in listening. You didn’t want to believe that Theo’s changed, and I couldn’t stand there and listen to you speak about him that way. I couldn’t listen to you talk about letting Theo rot in hell.”

Okay, maybe that had been a bit much. Especially considering she had been talking to Scott. The one person who had always condemned killing. He felt the same way about cruelty, and that’s what she’d been proposing. It didn’t change her feelings on the matter, she still felt Theo deserved what he’d gone through, but she should have tailored it for Scott’s benefit.

“Okay. I could have handled that better, but I had just woken up to find out I’d been cursed. Not once, but three times. All in one go. That’s a fairly big shock, Scott.”

She’d received a lot of unimpressed looks, lately. This one had to be one of the most notable, due to the sheer force of its weight.  
“You didn’t stop there, though. You waited days, _weeks_ , before going down there and threatening him. You went through with making your thoughts known, and I can’t forget that. Not with one apology.”

That didn’t sound good. He couldn’t mean...  
“What are you saying?”  
“I don’t think I can do this.”  
No. No, he can’t be...  
“Scott-”  
“I’m sorry, Malia. I can’t. I can’t keep defending you, when you make no attempt to change. I can’t do this. I... I just can’t.”  
With that, he proceeded to climb the stairs, rounding the corner and walking out of sight. She couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak. She just stood there, staring at where Scott had been. The same thought running through her mind.

Scott just broke up with her.


	20. Scott

He hated this. He hated what he’d done, but he had to. There was only so much he could take. There was only so much he could condone.

It didn’t change the guilt he felt. A fact that was only made worse, when he heard Malia’s breath hitch and her quiet crying. His heart broke when she whispered his name. This was the last thing he wanted. He never wanted to hurt Malia. He never wanted to make her feel like he’d abandoned her, but what could he do? Nothing he said was working. Nothing he did made any difference. He couldn’t stand by and allow her to continue hurting Theo.

He didn’t know what happened to Theo while in Hell, but he knew it was bad. Aside from the obvious, he had seen the signs. He had seen the way it had affected Theo. There was sure to be more he hadn’t seen, that which Theo had kept hidden, but he’d seen enough. Enough to know that Theo had suffered in Hell. Enough to know that Theo wasn’t the same, and that he might never be able to forget what he went through.

There would never be an adequate way to make up for this. They could never apologise enough to Theo for putting him through that. For forcing him into a place, literally designed to punish you. He couldn’t begin to think of a way to make up for threatening to send him back, only moments after Liam had freed him.

He should have recognised the fear in Theo’s eyes. He should have recognised Theo’s fear at hearing those words. Thinking back to that day, it all seemed so obvious, but he’d let his betrayal and anger cloud his judgement. Both then and when he’d let Theo be pulled under. He’d let his anger win, and he couldn’t take that back.

What he could do, _would_ do, is ensure he did _everything_ in his power to make it up to Theo. In any way possible. As much as it hurt hearing Malia upset, that included preventing her from doing the same to Theo.

He had to protect Theo from her anger.


	21. David

His life had become a lot more chaotic in recent years. More so, since learning of the supernatural. Well, maybe not more. He supposed it had always been that way, since moving to Beacon Hills. Learning about what was really out there simply explained a lot. It explained the strange cases he’d seen. The constant attacks. The incredible recoveries.

Most notably, Scott’s. He’d always been confused by the way Scott had come back from the dead. It still didn’t make a lot of sense, now, but it was better than nothing. He understood the connection between the supernatural elements of their world, and the natural properties. The laws of nature.

For the most part, that side had died down recently. Since the witch and the hunters attacked Theo, they hadn’t had much to deal with in regards to the supernatural. Their only concern at the moment was Malia. He and Jenna were doing everything they could to protect Theo. They were trying to ease his fears and pain forged from a life of trauma; especially the warehouse.

They were just beginning to make progress, and Malia had to come and send Theo back several steps. She struck not just fear, but absolute _terror_ into Theo. He couldn’t forget the look on his face. The panic. The sheer _desperation_.

He didn’t know what had happened to Theo in Hell. No one did. No one, but Liam. Theo didn’t like to talk about it, and that was fine. It was understandable. What was important, was that it was horrible. That much he knew. Whatever Theo went through down there was terrible, and the idea of going back, was enough to leave the boy shaking on the ground.

He’d never forgive Malia for that. He’d never forget the sheer panic, and the fundamental need to survive she’d triggered.

In saying that, she hadn’t been around, lately. It wasn’t until he asked Liam, that he realised why. A break up was always hard, and she probably didn’t want to be around the Pack, right now. Around Scott.

He felt for her, in that sense, but he couldn’t say he blamed Scott. Hopefully, this would be enough to finally show her the consequences of her actions. He hoped so.

For all their sakes.


	22. Malia

She was alone. Completely alone.  
She may be staying at Scott’s still, but that didn’t help. It only made it worse. She couldn’t get away from him. Anytime she dared venture outside the spare bedroom, she’d see him somewhere. It might be the kitchen, or it could be the bathroom. Either way, they always crossed paths eventually. Each time, hurt as much as the last.

It was at the point, she barely left the room. She waited as long as possible before seeking food. She’d come to learn roughly what times Scott made his way down, and she did everything she could to avoid those moments. The bathroom was harder, but she was managing. Their time spent face-to-face had reduced drastically.

It didn’t prevent the times she couldn’t avoid from hurting, but it reduced how often it occurred.

She couldn’t bear to see the Pack, right now. She couldn’t sit there and pretend like nothing was wrong. She couldn’t sit around Scott for that long. She couldn’t see the looks of pity, or lack thereof. Most importantly, she couldn’t bring herself to face Liam and Theo.

Not when Theo was the reason Scott had broken up with her, in the first place. Okay, she’d had some involvement in it. Most of it, but it all came back to Theo. It came back to Scott wanting to protect him. It’s for that reason, she couldn’t bear to see him. She definitely didn’t want Theo, or anyone else for that matter, to see her like this.

Why couldn’t everything go back to normal? Why couldn’t they go back to before any of this happened? She wished she could take it all back. She wished she could go back to before she approached Theo at Liam’s. To before she threatened him.

If she could, she would.


	23. Theo

“We have to do something.”  
“No. Not happening.”  
“Liam-”  
“Forget it, Theo. I’m not going.”  
Why did the beta have to be so stubborn? Why did this have to be so difficult? He wasn’t asking much. Not really. Okay, maybe he could see Liam’s side, but it didn’t change the fact they needed to do this.  
“We can’t just leave her.”  
“Yes, we can!”  
“Liam-”

“Give me one good reason, Theo. Give me _one_ reason why I should care?”  
How was it this hard to understand? It was basic common decency.  
“She needs someone.”  
“And that someone has to be us? Why do _we_ have to be the ones to do this?”

“You know as well as I do, that the Pack won’t. Not unless we make the first move.” This had to be done. It had to be them. It was the only way.  
“Then, why doesn’t _she_ make the first move? We’re not the ones at fault here.” Liam’s crossed arms, spoke to the extent of his unwillingness to agree. He wished he could say he didn’t understand the hesitance, but he did. All too well.

He wasn’t sure how this would turn out, but he had to try. He had to do _something_.  
After all, it was his fault. Not entirely, but in part. He wasn’t responsible for the way she’d been acting. He knew that. He wasn’t responsible for the fear and discomfort. What he _was_ responsible for, at least to some degree, was their breakup.

Yes, it came down to Malia’s attitude. It came down to her comments and how she’d treated him. He knew that, but it didn’t change the fact, that Scott did it for him.

As soon as Liam told him, he knew he had to fix it. He couldn’t be the reason they broke up. He couldn’t be the reason for Malia’s heartbreak. She might hide it well, but that didn’t mean she didn’t feel. She was as adept at covering her emotions with anger, as he was... or, at least, as he had been. He hadn’t been able to hide how he felt, in a long time.

Malia however, could. She relied on it, as much as he had. Then again, maybe they were more alike, than he’d realised. Liam had mentioned that she refused to leave Scott’s house. She barely left the guest room. Maybe, just maybe, she was struggling to mask her feelings, as well.

In which case, she needed them more than ever.  
They had to help her. They needed to bring her at least, some comfort. As uncertain as he was about approaching her, he was sure about one thing. He couldn’t leave her alone. He couldn’t do that to her. No matter what Malia had done to him.

“Liam, Malia needs us. We can’t just stand here and do nothing. If we did that, we would be no better than Malia. If we did that, we would be doing the same thing you yelled at Malia for.”

That got through. He could see the slight change in Liam’s stance. He watched as Liam’s arms loosened, slipping slightly along his chest. It wasn’t enough, though. Not yet.  
“Then, she can come and ask. If she wants help, she can ask for it.”

“Would you?”  
Liam refused to meet his gaze. Refused to let him succeed in convincing him, that this was the right thing to do. He didn’t need to see those deep blue eyes to do that, though.  
“Would _you_ ask for help, if you were in Malia’s position?”  
“Yes.” Stubborn, as always.

“Really?” He raised an eyebrow, at that. It was an absurd statement, and one they both knew to be a lie. “You’d go to the very people who’d refused to do anything, and ask for their help? The very people you believed to be the cause of your situation? The very person who _broke up_ with you?”  
“Fine.” Liam relented. “I wouldn’t, but that’s the point, Theo. Malia still blames _you_ for this. She still hasn’t taken responsibility.”

“I’m not denying that, but I can’t ignore her, either. Not when she’s suffering. She’s alone, Liam. I had you. No matter what happened, _I had you_. Malia doesn’t have that. She doesn’t have that unwavering support; that constant promise that someone is there for her. She doesn’t have anyone to offer her that.” He took a deep breath before voicing the next two words. “Malia’s alone.”

“Whose fault is that?”  
“That doesn’t make it okay, Liam.”  
“Theo, _she’s_ the one who pushed everyone away. I didn’t force her to act the way she did. It’s her own fault.”  
Breathe. Just breathe. He needed to convince Liam. There was no choice. It was a fact. They had to do this. They had to help her.

“Maybe it is, but it doesn’t make her pain any less valid. _Please_ , Liam. Come with me.”  
He waited, the silence growing around them, as he watched on. Waiting for a response. Hoping it would be the one he wanted to hear. Soon, he got his wish.

“Fine. I’ll go, but I’m not happy about this.”  
He let himself smile; an expression of pure relief and appreciation. “Noted.”

He revelled in Liam’s own smile. He took strength from it. He was going to need all the strength he could get, to make it through what they were about to do.

It was time.


	24. Malia

If they think she’s letting them in, they can think again. This is their fault. Liam just _had_ to go and say what happened the other day. Theo just _had_ to freak out. Theo just _had_ to be scared.  
Okay, _maybe_ she was being a little unrealistic. Anyone would be scared of that. Even Theo. Which is _why_ she’d used it. It had seemed like the most plausible way, the _only_ way, to free herself from these curses. From this _prison_.

Either way, if it weren’t for that, Scott wouldn’t have broken up with her. He wouldn’t have left her on her own. If they thought she wanted to talk to them, they could think again.  
She’d heard a car pull up, and peering through the window, she’d seen the familiar blue truck. The _last_ vehicle she wanted to see. Although she couldn’t hear their conversation, she _could_ hear the front door opening. She _could_ hear the approaching footsteps, courtesy of the creaking floorboards. She _heard_ the footsteps come to a stop outside the guest room.

“Malia?”  
Theo. He was actually here. Trying to talk to her. What could he _possibly_ want?  
“Can we come in?”  
“No.”  
“We just want to talk.”  
Oh, that was rich. Coming from him. To bring Liam with him... After everything they did, after everything they _said_... She had gone to Liam’s to apologise. To _talk,_ and look what that got her. Now, they wanted to have a simple conversation? As if none of that ever happened?

“I’m not interested in anything you have to say.”  
“Malia, please-”  
“Get out! Theo, just leave me alone!”  
She couldn’t do this. She didn’t want to listen to whatever this was about. The only reason they would be here, is if they wanted to poke her wounds. The only reason they would have come all this way, is to make this worse.

“I know how hard this is. I know you’re probably expecting this to be a trap, but I promise it’s not.” Theo wouldn’t quit. Was he so determined to get back at her, that he had to come after her? _Now?_ _Of all times?_  
“Oh, I’m sure you came out of the goodness of your heart.”  
“I’ve been where you are, Malia. I swear, all I want is to talk. No hidden agendas.”

Oh, why not? If she didn’t like how it went, there were plenty of objects within reach. Objects she could stab Theo with.  
“Fine.” She muttered, turning around as the door opened. Just because she’d allowed them to enter, didn’t mean she had to face them. It didn’t mean she had to like them.

“What do you want?” She wasn’t prepared to listen to their comments. She wasn’t prepared to be the brunt of their jokes. To be their entertainment.  
“To help.”  
She laughed. She _actually_ laughed at that. How could she not? Did he _really_ expect her to believe that?  
“Why do you care?” This was all a cruel joke at her expense, and she had every right to be irritable.

“I know what it’s like.”  
It was soft, whispered. Like Theo didn’t want to voice it. As if he didn’t want to give it weight; to make it real.  
“What about _him_?” She didn’t need to say a name. They all knew who she was referring to. Liam had yet to speak. He hadn’t moved since entering the room; instead, opting to stand against the wall. Distancing himself from the conversation taking place.

“Liam wants to help, as well.”  
“Don’t lie, Theo. I’m here for you. If you weren’t here, I wouldn’t be, either.”  
She let out a loud huff. Well, at least one of them was honest. She did however, notice Theo’s narrowed gaze and the way his eye twitched.  
“Can we not have this discussion, Liam? We’ve been over this. You agreed.”

“I agreed to come because you wanted me to. I agreed because you asked, not because I’m sorry for Malia.”  
Oh, you know what? She didn’t have to listen to this. She didn’t have to put up with being reminded how little the Pack cared. “Then just go. I didn’t ask you to come, and I don’t want you here. So, just get out.”  
It was an out, and one which Liam was willing to take. “My pleasure.”

Theo, on the other hand, was not.  
“I’m not leaving.”  
“I said, go home.”  
“Not until we talk about this.”  
“Theo,” good old Liam to the rescue. “Let her deal with it herself. Clearly, she doesn’t want us here, so let’s go.”  
“You want to go home? Fine. Go, but I’m staying.” Theo didn’t even turn around. No, his eyes remained on her the entire time. Even though she was human, she could identify the sincerity in his gaze.  
“Theo-”  
“I said, I’m staying, Liam. Go. Take my truck. I’ll meet you back there, soon.”

“I’m not leaving you alone with her.”  
There was something dark in Theo’s green eyes. An anger she hadn’t seen in a while. She definitely hadn’t seen it in response to Liam. Turns out, she’s not the only one annoyed with him. At least, they could agree on that.  
“She has a _name_ , Liam.”  
Wow. She hadn’t expected that. Especially when it _did_ hurt constantly being referred to as ‘her’.  
“I _know_ that.”  
“Then _use_ it.”

After what felt like an eternity, their endless glaring ceased, and Liam huffed. Clearly, he wasn’t happy about losing the battle.  
“Fine. I’m not leaving you alone with _Malia_.”  
She heard Theo’s sigh, and watched as he rubbed a particular spot between his eyes. It was probably the start of a headache, and honestly, she couldn’t blame him. Dealing with Liam right now, would give anyone a headache.

“I’ll be fine. You can go.”  
“No way. Not happening.”  
“I said go. _Now_.”  
“I won’t-”  
Just like that, Theo snapped. She has to admit, she was rather surprised (and amused) by the result.  
“ _Liam_. I’m not going. That’s final. I don’t need you to stay. I don’t need you to protect me. Not this time. If you’re that worried, don’t be. Scott’s here. He’ll help me if anything goes wrong.” Theo was facing Liam with a narrowed gaze, almost daring him to disagree. Almost as if challenging Liam to say anything other than okay.

She watched the anger flare; the darkened blue eyes; the twitch of lips. She watched claws tear past the fingertips. “Fine.” Liam spoke harshly. A little _too_ harsh. It was a clear trait of Liam’s IED. There was no control over what was said during an episode, but what was always the same, was it always hurt. If she didn’t stop him, Liam was going to say something he’d regret.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t fast enough. Before she could do more than open her mouth, Liam had spoken... and, oh, had she been right.  
“Go ahead. Stay. I shouldn’t have stopped Malia at the town border. Seeing as you’re willing to allow her to manipulate you now. I should have left you there. Made it easier on everyone.”

She winced, as the wind was knocked out of Theo’s lungs, expression changing instantly. The anger drained, and was replaced by a look of pure hurt. The way Theo swallowed against the tightness in his throat. She knew that look. She’d experienced that look, first hand.  
Even she wanted punch Liam, for that.  
Theo steadied himself, hands clenched. Looking at Liam coldly, he spoke. “Get out.”  
They didn’t need to repeat themselves, because Liam just left. No hesitation. No apology. He just left.

It was silent for a moment. _Too_ silent. Theo stared straight ahead, eyes fixed on the wall. She should say something. She should try to comfort him, but how? What could she possibly say to make this better? In the end, it didn’t matter. Theo turned to her first and sighed.  
“I’m sorry, Malia. Liam had no right to speak to you like that.”

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Was he really just going to pretend like that never happened?  
“ _Me_? What about _you_?”  
“Don’t worry about it.”  
“Theo-”  
“Malia, I’m fine.”  
“You’re _not_ fine.” She was shouting, but she didn’t care. The situation warranted it. Theo blinked; eyes wide. “That was _not_ okay. How can you stand there, and pretend like it is?”

For a moment Theo didn’t speak. She was beginning to think he wouldn’t answer, when she heard a soft sigh. “It’s what I deserve. It’s what I’ve always deserved. I fooled myself into thinking I could have something more. I fooled myself into believing I could have something good. I told myself not to question it. To just enjoy it, before it was taken away. I guess this is all I get.”

Her heart ached at the look of resignation and despair. She had never seen Theo so low on hope. There was a time, she would have loved this. She would have celebrated such a look. Such pain. She would have boasted and rubbed salt in the wound, but now? Now, she wanted to punch Liam. Oh, did she want to punch Liam.  
“Theo, Liam is an idiot.”  
A small, hallow laugh rose. “I agree with you on that.”  
“Liam never should have said that. He had no right to say that, and _I_ had no right to try and control you. No one should have to go through that. _No one_. Not even you.”

Theo closed his eyes; likely trying to hide the emotion there. She understood. She’d have done the same, if their situations had been reversed.  
“Don’t think I haven’t noticed that you never tried, Theo. You never tried to control me. Even after what I did to you. Even when I trapped you out there; when I used the curse against you. You _never_ did the same to me.”  
That made Theo open his eyes. He looked at her with understanding and sympathy.  
“I won’t do that. I won’t put _anyone_ through that. No matter what you do, I will _never_ force someone to lose power over their own body. It’s the worst feeling one can experience, and I won’t be responsible for inflicting it on someone.”

Who would have thought that she and Theo would be here? Sitting in Scott’s guest room, talking and on relatively good terms? Neither were trying to kill the other. Neither were trying to embarrass or manipulate the other.

Confusing as it was, it felt nice. She couldn’t deny the fact, they were similar. More so, than anyone else in the Pack. Theo knew what it was like to be alone. He knew what it was like to lose your family. Despite the cause, he clearly missed them. She’d thought back to a few comments he’d made in the past, and it all made sense.  
He knew how she felt.  
“Why are you here?”

Theo offered such understanding in that one glance, she already felt better. Not completely, but more than she had a moment ago.  
“I know what it’s like. To be cast out. To have no one. I know what it’s like to not be wanted. I know how much it hurts. How the quiet becomes too much, and the emptiness creeps in.”  
“I made you feel that way. I did that to you.”  
Theo offered another hollow laugh. “It wasn’t only you. It wasn’t just the Pack. I brought a lot of it on myself. A lot of it was a direct result of my own thoughts. It’s a sense of loneliness you can’t shake. You can’t just be near someone, and resolve it. It’s a sort of loneliness that follows you, wherever you go. Reminding you _why_ you’re where you are. Reminding you _why_ you’re alone.”

She never expected Theo to be so open. Least of all, with her. Maybe a small insight into what it was like, but not this. Not this look at his true thoughts. Not this insight into what he’d been going through. It was personal and emotional, and neither of them had ever been good at those.  
“It hurts to be seen as a monster.”  
Wow. She... she didn’t know what to say.  
“In my case, it’s true. I am.”  
“Theo-“

“Malia, we both know it’s true. You more than anyone. It’s why you didn’t let me off the hook. You made sure I remembered, because I am. No one can change that. No one can change what I’ve done. It’s okay, though. I know I am. I know I always will be.”  
Does Theo really think this low of himself?  
“You’re not, though.”  
Three words.  
Three words which meant more than anything could, right now. Three simple words that tugged at her heart. She had felt like she was, or, at least, that the Pack thought so. Hearing someone say she’s not, hearing _Theo_ say she’s not, was a relief.

“You’re not a monster, Malia. You were acting out of a desire to protect yourself and your friends. Your Pack. You were acting out of fear and anger. Two emotions you had every right to feel. You took out your fear and anger on me. _Only_ on me. You took it out on the one person who deserved it. The person who caused it. There’s nothing wrong with that.

“I know Liam never apologised. Not really. Not in a way that matters. I was hoping he would today, but we both saw how that turned out. I know it’s not the same, but I want to. I want you to know how sorry I am. I’m sorry, Malia. For everything. I’m sorry for what Liam did, and for not doing anything to stop him. I’m sorry for everything. For trying to destroy the Pack.”

Theo let out a shaky breath. She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear what came next. Correction. She _knew_ she didn’t. Not after that look of pure, unmasked resignation.  
“I deserve what I’ve been through, but you don’t.”  
Okay, no.  
She wouldn’t sit here, and listen to this.  
“Shut up.” Theo stared at her in shock. Confusion filtered through his wide eyes, but she wasn’t about to stop. “Just shut up. I’m not going to listen to you talk about yourself like that.”  
“Malia-”

“No.” Her voice was hard. Unmoving. He might be hurt, but that didn’t excuse it. “I was wrong. To treat you the way I did. Don’t even _think_ about interrupting me.” Theo closed his mouth so fast, it clicked. That’s better. “I am not innocent. Not in this. Not in my past. Accident or not, it happened. I caused my family to die. I can’t change that. Nor can you. There may be differences between _how_ we got to where we are, but it doesn’t make you different to me.

“I held onto a grudge. One which blinded me to the fact you’d changed. The fact you were _trying_ to change. I wouldn’t let you do that. I wouldn’t accept that. That’s my fault. Not yours. Besides, why would you have stopped Liam? I’d just threatened to send you to hell. I don’t blame you for not going anywhere near me.”

Theo didn’t speak. Didn’t do anything. He just stared at her. Shock and gratitude written all over his face. Every feature screamed his relief.  
“I’m sorry, Theo. I shouldn’t have done that. It doesn’t matter what you’d done. I never should have used that against you. I never should have tried to scare you. Not like that. Not with something so raw. I don’t know what happened, but I know I was wrong. It was cruel, and I’m sorry. I mean it, Theo. Don’t you _dare_ say I don’t.”

Swallowing, she watched him struggle to form a response. He had to close his eyes again, before he could relax enough to form the words.  
“Thank you.”  
She could see the unshed tears, but tactfully chose not to address them. It wasn’t necessary, and it was the last thing Theo would want. If she had been in his position, she wouldn’t want someone bringing up that detail, either. After everything, he deserved that peace of mind.

“You are _not_ a monster, Theo.”  
This time, the tears slipped free. She watched them roll down his cheeks, uncontrolled and unhindered. It was such a vulnerable state to be in, and yet, here he was. Allowing her to see him. Making no attempt to hide.

And that said everything, didn’t it?


	25. Liam

He stormed into his room. The door slammed shut, the walls vibrating from the force. He couldn’t sit still, couldn’t stop moving. Every nerve in his body was practically shaking. Almost like the strings of a guitar. He could almost see the person playing each note; the uneasy energy building with every strum.  
Theo had chosen her. Chosen _Malia_. He’d been sent away as if _he_ were the one causing problems. As if _he_ were the one to show nothing but disrespect for everyone. As if _he_ were the one to threaten Theo.

Theo had told him to leave. Just like that. He had to listen to Theo tell him his help wasn’t needed. No, apparently _Malia_ was the only one who could do that now. How could Theo _trust_ her? After every betrayal? After every attempt to hurt Theo? How could he be here, whilst Theo stayed? How could this be happening? In what universe, did any of this make sense?

He’d only wanted to help. He’d tried to reason with Theo, but nothing seemed to get through. Nothing seemed to make Theo realise the risk involved. You’d think Malia had never strayed. That she’d never tried to seek revenge. Let alone, for something that had already been handled. Unjustly, at that.

He was angry. He’d left without looking back, but so had Theo. Theo had stayed without a second thought. He wasn’t followed. He wasn’t stopped. Okay, so he was angry. So, he might have lost his temper and given into his IED. So, he might have snapped, and said something he didn’t mean. So, what? It’s not like Theo hadn’t done the same to him. Their fights always led to both saying something they didn’t mean.

He could still picture the look Theo gave him. The clenched hands and cold voice. The way he’d been dismissed without any emotion. The blatant apathy. As his own anger started to dissipate, another image surfaced. The memory hit hard. It was like a punch to the chest. All air left his body in that moment. An image of Theo, the pure _pain_ in those green eyes, arose. Bright and vivid, as if he were still standing in Scott’s room, instead of his own.

Could he really have caused that? He’d never seen that look before. Not because of him. It couldn’t have been that bad, could it? He couldn’t even remember what he’d said. Surely, if it had been bad, he’d remember. But, he couldn’t shake that image. He couldn’t shake the open wound he’d seen in Theo’s expression.  
 _What did he say?_

All he could remember was Theo telling him to go, that he wasn’t needed. He remembered being told that Scott would help, if necessary. His IED made it hard to recall his response. It was lost to a blur of explosive rage. A string of sensations and unfiltered thoughts. Ones which were sure to make themselves known. The worst part was they came out skewed. He’d voice a particular thought, but it would shift and morph into something else. Something he didn’t mean. Something, that in the moment, he knew would hurt.

It wasn’t him speaking. It was the anger. It was the IED. The question, though, was _what_ did he _say_? He fought to remember; to pull a single trace of that conversation to mind. He fought to recall a single word of what he said. If he could do that, he might be able to jog his memory. He might be able to remember the entire comment.  
If he could just remember...  
No. Oh, _please no_.

It all came back. A flood of words. A flood of destruction. A wave tearing down everything in its path. It tore through the argument, suppressing any retort, and with it, Theo’s walls. It shattered the progress they’d been making. One _stupid_ comment, and he’d reversed any step towards healing that Theo had made. One _stupid_ comment, and he’d hurt Theo. Not only that, but he may have just done irreversible damage to their friendship.

What was he going to do?


	26. Theo

It hurt. There was no way around it. _It hurt_.  
Not once had he thought that Liam would say that. To know Liam thought he deserved to be left there, to be manipulated...

There were no words to describe the pain he felt at hearing that confession. All he’d wanted to do was help Malia, and in turn, he’d lost Liam. In retrospect, he should have known. If he were honest, he _did_ know. It’s why he’d told himself not to question the good. He’d told himself to enjoy it while it lasts. Deep down, he knew it couldn’t go on forever. It’s not what his life was.

He just hadn’t expected it to hurt so much, when it ended. Not because it would be easy. He knew it would never be easy. Not after all the time he’d spent with Liam’s family. He knew it would be hard when it inevitably ended. He knew it would be painful to lose all of this. He knew that, but he didn’t know Liam would cast such a deep blow to do it. He didn’t know this was how it would end.

Either way, it is what it is. Like it or not, this is how his chance at happiness ends. It was time he accepted that. Fighting it would only prolong the open wound that was his heart. It would never heal, he already knew that, but there was no need to add salt to the wound. He knew all of that, and he knew nothing would change the facts.

It was time.


	27. Theo

He took a deep breath before entering the house. The house he was no longer a resident of. He silently bid farewell to the home, that had provided invaluable warmth and comfort when he needed it. He silently thanked it for helping him heal the scars he carried. He offered a silent thanks to the family he was no longer part of. His gratitude for the support and love, he would never be able to repay.

He rounded the corner of the hall, having ascended the stairs, and saw a figure standing in the furthest doorway. Liam stood there, motionless as he stared. Their eyes met, but neither spoke. It was time. No point in delaying. Turning, he left the silent exchange in the hall and entered ‘his’ room. The guest room. He ignored the footsteps closing in. He ignored the way they stopped short of entering the room. He ignored the presence of a second heartbeat, and that once comforting breath. He ignored it all, in favour of getting on with the task at hand. The larger picture.

“What are you doing?”  
He didn’t answer. He just pushed his jacket into his bag, and placed in over his shoulder.  
“Theo.”  
He already had his blanket and pillow. They always remained in his bag. He couldn’t risk them being found. It would have raised too many unwanted questions, if Jenna saw them when changing the sheets. He’d offered to do the laundry for her, but he was always turned down. ‘A guest doesn’t need to wash the linen, Theo’.

He didn’t have much, in terms of possessions. His few articles of clothing, his phone, his pillow and his blanket. That’s all he had to his name, aside from his truck. It was easy enough to explain the bag of clothes. He’d had to, when he first stayed at Liam’s. When he’d been turned into his nine-year-old self, he’d had to explain why he had clothes in his car. Seeing as he didn’t need to go home for a change.

His reasoning had been logical. It made sense given their lifestyle. With the lives they lived, you never knew when you might need a new pair of clothes. They were covered in enough claw marks and blood to warrant the precaution.

Walking past Liam, he made his way down the hall. He ignored the calls from the door. He started down the stairs.  
“Where are you going?”  
The voice was closer. Behind him. The beta was never one to give up. It didn’t matter, though. He knew what he had to do, and he’d accepted it.  
“Home.”  
“You don’t have to go.”  
“I’ve outstayed my welcome. I’m sorry for being a burden. I’ll get out of your way.”

In the downstairs hallway, he walked towards the front door without stopping. He couldn’t look back. He couldn’t wait. If he did, his heart might break completely. As it was, he was barely holding on.  
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it!”  
Just keep moving. One foot in front of the other. He turned the handle, and welcomed the cool breeze.  
“Theo, please! Don’t go!”  
“I’ll see you around, Liam.”

And with that, he pulled the door shut behind him.


	28. Liam

He stood there, staring at the closed door, without blinking. That just happened. That _actually_ happened. It was worse than he thought. He knew he needed to apologise, and he knew that it wouldn’t be easy. He needed to make it up to Theo. He knew that, but he never thought Theo would leave. It had never occurred to him that it was even a possibility.  
What had he done?

He stood there, unmoving, as the door opened, and his mum walked in. He stood there, unmoving, as she locked the door behind her.  
“Hey, honey. Is Theo okay? He seemed to be in a rush, and he had his bag with him.”  
He didn’t answer. He just stood there, staring at the closed door. Staring at the wood, willing Theo to come back. To talk to him. To let him apologise.

“Liam?”  
Come back. Please, just open the door and let him explain. Let him apologise. Let him make this right. Please. Just come back.  
“Liam?”  
A hand landed on his shoulder, and he turned, unseeing, towards his mum.  
“Are you okay?”  
He couldn’t answer. Couldn’t form the words. It was all too much. It was too hard to bear the reality of what he’d done. With tears clouding his vision, he shook his head.

“Oh, sweetie. What’s wrong?”  
The tears broke, and he couldn’t hold himself up anymore. Everything he’d been feeling since he’d left Scott’s, came crashing down. His legs gave way, and he fell to the floor. The hard wood collided with his knees, sending a jolt of a pain up his body. It couldn’t compare, though, to the pain in his chest.

“Oh, Liam. What happened?”  
He felt his mum’s hand return, taking up its previous place on his shoulder. She knelt beside him, trying to understand, but she couldn’t. No one could. Her presence would have comforted him, offered solace any other day. If this had been anything else, he would have leant into her embrace. He would have wrapped his arms around her, and told her everything.

Now, though, it only reminded him of the severity of the situation. Her hand on his shoulder, told him how bad this really was. He pulled back, as though burned by her touch. Her eyes widened for a second, before softening.  
“Liam, please. You’re scaring me. What is this about?”  
“I messed up, Mum.”

“Okay, we’ll fix it. We always do.”  
“No. Mum, you don’t understand. This is worse than anything I’ve ever done before.”  
“Honey, it can’t be that bad.”  
She sounded so sure, so soothing. If only she knew the truth. She was going to be furious, and so she should. He was furious with himself.

“It is. Mum, it is. It’s Theo.”  
Her eyes shifted at that. The earlier worry morphed into something more. It took on a harder edge. A protective gleam shone through.  
“What happened?”  
“Mum-” He broke off in another sob, the words lost to his guilt.  
“Liam, you can tell me.”

He spoke in broken sentences, the tears making it difficult to string his words together. “He’s- in so much- pain, Mum. Theo’s- Theo’s in- _so much pain_.”  
“Did someone hurt him?” There it was. The hint of anger peering through. The thought that someone had done something was enough to set off her motherly instincts. Her protective desires. It was only going to get worse, once she knew the truth.  
“Yes.” It came out as a sob.

“Who was it?” Her tone had turned hard. He knew she was already preparing to drive over to confront the person responsible. She probably had an entire lecture planned out by now. She didn’t realise she was already talking to them.  
“Me.”  
Her eyes narrowed and softened at the same time. He watched the stream of emotions wash over her features. Confusion, comfort, protection, sadness, concern. It was all there.

Every mother’s need to take care of her children. Including Theo. She wanted to make him feel better, and protect Theo at the same time, but in this case, that wasn’t possible. It wasn’t an option, because in this case, _he_ was the one Theo needed protection from.  
“What are you talking about?”  
“It’s me, Mum. I hurt Theo. It’s my fault.”  
“Oh, Liam. I’m sure it can’t be that bad.” She was still trying to understand. To help. He wished he could take it back. If he could _just take it all back..._  
“You don’t understand. I messed up, Mum. I messed up, and Theo left.”

“Don’t worry, Liam. He’ll be back soon, and when he is, we can-”  
“He’s not coming back.” His voice cracked, as another sob broke through. “Theo left. He moved out.” There’s the shock. She hadn’t been expecting that. No one would have.  
“Okay. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” Reasonable, as always. It wouldn’t last, though. Not once she knew the reason. He could hear her anger already. “It just means he’s going home. Give him some time to cool down, and then talk to him. Apologise for whatever happened, and I’m sure he’ll forgive you in no time.”

“He won’t. Not for this.” He swallowed, desperately needing the sliver of air it provided. “You didn’t see his face, Mum. You didn’t see the flash of pain. You didn’t see the way he shut down after. I tried to apologise when he came home, but he just walked out. He didn’t even look at me.”

“Okay. You need to tell me what you said.”  
Squeezing his eyes shut, he took a deep breath. Preparing himself. She was going to be furious, and she should. He messed up. There was no changing that.  
“I said... I said I shouldn’t have stopped Malia at the town border.” He let out another sob, when his mum gasped. “I said I should have left him there. Made it easier on everyone.”  
“ _Liam Dunbar_ , how _could_ you?!”

“I know. I know. I told you, it’s bad.”  
“ _Bad?!_ Liam, this is terrible! You had _no right_ to say something so _cruel!_ Your father and I didn’t raise you to be so _callous!_ ”  
“I know, Mum. I know.” He couldn’t stop crying. Not when Theo was out there. Alone. Not when it was his fault. “I didn’t mean to. I didn’t mean it.”  
“Then _why_ would you _say_ it?”  
“We were fighting. I was angry. My- my IED... it got the better of me.” Sometimes, he really hated his anger. Some more than others. This was definitely one he regretted the most.  
“Liam, I _know_ you’re not using that as an excuse.” If there was one thing his mum hated more than anything, it was him passing responsibility for his actions onto his IED.

“I’m not. It’s all my fault. I just didn’t mean to say that. I bit back in anger, but I didn’t mean it. I didn’t mean to say... _that_.”  
“You _did_ , though.”  
“What am I going to do?”  
“I don’t know, Liam. This isn’t a simple problem. You took something that Theo had confided in you about, something he was scared of, and used it to hurt him.”  
He was such an idiot. He had messed everything up. Theo was just starting to settle into his place in the Pack, and now this. After everything he’d done to help Theo feel at home, to feel _safe,_ he’s the reason Theo left.

“I don’t know how to fix this, Mum.”  
“I don’t either, Liam.”  
His mum always had an answer. She _always_ knew what to do. If she didn’t know, then he really was in trouble.  
“Please. I have to do _something_.”  
“This doesn’t have an easy solution, Liam. I can’t give you the answer, but you better work out a way to make this up to Theo. If you don’t, you and I are going to have a problem.”

He swallowed at the meaning behind those words. It was never a good idea to be on the other side of his mum’s anger. Yet, here he was. Not only was he on her bad side, he had upset Theo. Her adopted son, basically.

If only he knew how to fix this.


	29. Theo

He pulled the blanket closer, shivering in the cold night air. Oh, how he hadn’t missed this. He’d do anything to experience the warmth of the guest bed at Liam’s. To be wrapped within the immense layers those sheets provided. As comfortable as he’d been there, he couldn’t go back. Not anymore.  
He wasn’t welcome there.  
This was his home, and it’s where he belonged. It’s time he got used to that. It’s time he stopped looking for more. For better.

At least, he’d gained some insight over the years. He knew the best places to park. The spots the deputies didn’t search. Those in which he could be left in peace, to acquire what little sleep he could. He hadn’t had as many nightmares, lately. A much needed relief, and one that would be an enormous weight off his shoulders now.  
He was already homeless. The last thing he needed was to be homeless _and_ plagued by nightmares.

_Home sweet home_.


	30. Theo

It was strange being on good terms with Malia. They’d spent more time together, not like he did with Stiles, but they were getting there. They weren’t trying to kill each other anymore, and they were actually having fun.

It had been a week since he’d left Liam’s, and he’d yet to speak to the beta. Not from lack of trying, either. He’d had to try everything he could think of to avoid him. It took his vast knowledge of the town’s crevices, and its unknown paths, to hide. Shocking as it might be to some, he didn’t particularly want to be reminded that he wasn’t wanted. Once was enough.

He’d spoken to Scott more, as well. It felt good; almost like old times. Laughing and messing around, as if they’d never been apart. As if they’d grown up together, just like Stiles and Scott had. Whilst there, he’d been trying to mend Malia and Scott’s relationship. It broke as a result of his involvement with Malia; because of their fight. The least he could do is help get them back together.

It might take some time, but he thought he’d seen some progress. They were talking again. Malia wasn’t hiding in her room all day. He’d even seen them on the couch, laughing and leaning into one another. He couldn’t help but smile at the sight. It was nice seeing them happy, again.

He held onto that image, as he pulled up to Lydia’s the next day. A Pack meeting was being held; not to discuss a threat, (thankfully, there had been no more supernatural problems to deal with), but as a way to bond.

Scott felt the Pack was falling apart. That they needed to repair their relationships; their friendships. After everything, he could understand. As much as he didn’t want to, he understood where Scott was coming from.  
The Pack had splintered into groups, with fractures splitting once solid connections.

He and Liam weren’t talking. Stiles and Malia were on shaky ground. Mason and Corey had taken his side after learning of the fight, Lydia didn’t want to get involved, and Scott...  
Well, Scott was trying to keep them all together.

So, here they were. Preparing for a Pack game night. The moment he entered the room, he felt eyes on him. Intentionally ignoring the watchful gaze, he made his way to the kitchen. Before he could make his way back, the door was blocked. Liam stood there, arms crossed. Pout on full display. Liam’s eyebrows furrowed as they waited, neither one making a move.  
Finally, he’d had enough.  
“Get out of my way.”  
“We need to talk.”  
“Let me through, Liam.”

“You can’t keep ignoring me. It’s been a week, Theo. You haven’t spoken to me once.”  
He scoffed. The audacity. The sheer nerve.  
“I wonder why, Liam. Did you ever think I might not want to see you? Did you ever think that maybe I wanted to be alone? To be somewhere I don’t feel like a burden?”

“Theo, I’m trying to apologise.”  
“I don’t care.”  
“Theo-”  
“Don’t you get it? I don’t want your apology. I don’t want you to say you’re sorry. I’m not here to make you feel better. If you didn’t want me around anymore, you could have just said so. If you didn’t want to help me, if you didn’t want to help Malia, you should have just refused.

“But, no. You had to go and use something you _knew_ would hurt me. I wanted to help Malia, to ease her pain, and you responded by telling me you should have let her use the curse against me. Do you have _any idea_ how that feels? Do you have _any idea_ what it’s like to hear that, from the person who’s supposed to be there for you? Someone who’s supposed to be your _friend_?”  
“I’m sorry. It was a stupid thing to say. I can only imagine how much it hurt.”

He wasn’t in the mood for this. All he wanted was to have something to eat. He didn’t need a poor attempt at making this better. That wasn’t going to happen, so why bother?  
“Just leave me alone. We’ll get through tonight, and then we can both go home. We can both go back to our lives.”  
“So, that’s it? You’re just going to ignore me for the rest of your life?”  
“That’s the plan. Now, move.”

Liam didn’t budge an inch. If anything, the beta stood straighter. Defiant. That little shit.  
“Not until we talk about this. We’re not children, Theo. You can’t just ignore a problem, and hope it goes away. Nothing has ever been resolved by pretending it doesn’t exist.”

He was so done with this. “That’s just it, Liam. I don’t _want_ to resolve this. I don’t _want_ to make it better, because you can’t. You can’t just act as if you never said that. You can’t pretend you didn’t write Malia off, despite having defended me for the same mistreatment. You can’t go about life, as if everything’s fine, because it’s _not_.”

“Theo, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.”  
“Oh, because that makes it _so_ much better. ‘Sorry Theo, I didn’t _mean_ to take a knife to your heart. Everything’s _fine_ , now.’ I don’t know about you, Liam, but it doesn’t work like that. Not for me. Not about this. Not from you.” He whispered the final three words; his voice dying down to little more than a breath on air.

“I can’t just forget what you said, Liam. It doesn’t matter whether you meant it or not. The fact is, you _said_ it. You may have been angry, but in that anger, you took something you _knew_ would hurt and twisted. I’ve never done that to you. No matter how angry I was. No matter what we were arguing about. I _never_ did that to you.”

“I know, Theo.” Tears were forming in Liam’s eyes, but he wouldn’t be swayed. Not this time. “I’m sorry. Please. I swear I’ll make it up to you. Just give me another chance. Come back.”

Taking a deep breath, he centred his sharpened indignation. This was testing his already fragile temper, and he just wanted to leave.  
“I’m fine at my place, Liam. I needed to leave soon, anyway. It’s not like I was going to stay at yours forever. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be in the lounge.”

Without waiting for a response, he pushed past as he made his way over to the couch. He deliberately ignored the looks he received from the Pack. There was _no way_ he was talking about this with them. A moment later, the seat dipped as Malia sat beside him... and, _oh_ , did that earn them a round of stares. Particularly from Stiles.

It wasn’t that surprising, though. There had been a lot of changes lately, and his relative acceptance by Malia was one of the most notable. The only other change which came close, was the tension between him and Liam. It was the elephant in the room, and he _refused_ to address it.

Now, usually, he and Liam would sit nearby, whilst Malia and Scott took the couch. Mason and Corey would occupy the _same_ chair, (don’t get him started), and Lydia relaxed on the remaining sofa, by herself. Derek was out of town for the time being, so they had to deal with a pouting Stiles. Apparently, Stiles can’t handle being separated from his boyfriend for a week. This time however, Scott sat beside Lydia, whilst Liam didn’t bother hiding his irritation when sitting in their usual spot. Just what he needed. An entire night of being glared at by Liam.

It would be an understatement and a lie to say it was uncomfortable. It felt more like they were bordering on an all-out war. To think they were supposed to be a Pack, was almost funny.

Their entertainment was a round of board games, Liam was a _terrible_ loser (worse than usual), and most notably, _no one_ was having fun. They definitely weren’t mending any fractured relationships tonight. In the end, Scott decided they should all go home early.

He knew this wasn’t the end of Scott’s attempts. There was no way Scott would let this go. You’d have to be a fool to think otherwise. On the bright side, he could finally get out of here.

Back to his reality.


	31. Malia

Oh. This was...  
Not something she could describe.  
She didn’t know what she was looking at. She didn’t even know how to react. She was standing in the hallway of Scott’s house, facing an uncomfortable Liam. This was not how she saw her morning going. She was so shocked to see him, that she was momentarily rendered speechless.

Liam wasn’t much better. He had yet to say anything, and couldn’t stop looking around the room. Considering he was the one who’d come to see her, you’d think he’d be better prepared.  
“What do you want?” She’d had enough waiting around, and the words slid out. The initial shock had worn off, and all she felt now was outraged on Theo’s behalf.

After releasing a shaky breath, Liam finally brought up the reason he was here. One she couldn’t believe she was actually hearing. It was something more befitting of a dream, than real life.  
“I need your help.”  
“You’re not serious.” It was dry and unsympathetic, and she made no attempt to alter her tone. This was like a poor attempt at a joke.

“It’s important.”  
“I couldn’t care less. I’m not doing anything for you. Now, get out.”  
“Malia-”  
“I said go.”  
Liam had the nerve to scowl. As if that would change her mind. She was in no way about to give in. He brought this on himself.

“Look, I know you don’t like me, but that’s not important right now. What matters, is we fix this.”  
“Fix what?”  
If he thought he could just walk in here, and she’d let him off the hook, he could think again.  
“It’s Theo.”  
She should have known. It was _always_ going to be about Theo. She almost laughed at the fact, he was asking her for help with this. Not only was she the last person who’d go out of her way to help him, she wasn’t the one he should be talking to.  
“Then speak to Theo.”

“I tried!” Liam was shouting now, and she wasn’t impressed. “He won’t talk to me!”  
“Do you blame him? Why would he after what you said?”  
“I didn’t _mean_ it!”  
Liam was quickly working himself up, but she did nothing to calm him down. This was his fault. He was the one to throw such a bitter, cruel remark.  
“I don’t care, Liam. You were against doing anything for me because I hurt Theo, and yet you hurt him so much worse.”

“How can _you_ lecture me about what I did?!”  
The offence and indignation was obvious. There was no way to hide that degree of anger.  
“I already apologised.”  
“So did I!”  
“Don’t you think it says something that Theo forgave me, and not you?”

“What I did, was no where near as bad as what you did.” Liam was furious. She doubts he liked being compared to her, let alone told his actions were worse. She also didn’t care. His peace of mind wasn’t her problem. Theo’s peace was. She owed Theo that much.  
“Obviously to Theo, it was.”  
“You _assaulted_ him! You _threatened_ him at every turn! How can what I said be worse than that?!”

“Do you want you know what Theo said, after you left that day?” Liam’s gaze narrowed. Apparently, he didn’t trust her. Well, too bad. “He said he deserved it.” She ignored the loud gasp and continued. “He said he’d been fooling himself to think he could have something good. He said he knows what it’s like to not be wanted, to be seen as a monster.”

Liam was just staring at her, in open shock. It wasn’t what he’d expected to hear. She couldn’t say she wouldn’t have been the same, if their situations were reversed.  
“Theo thinks he deserves everything he’s been through.” She felt strangely satisfied with the way Liam’s eyes widened. It meant he was listening. He was taking this seriously. “ _Everything_ , Liam.”

For a few seconds, Liam opened and closed his mouth, as though trying to form the words to match his thoughts. It was like watching a stunned fish. That had to be one of the strangest thoughts she’d ever had.

When Liam finally spoke, it was barely even a whisper. “He told you that?”  
“Yes, he did. You want to know why what you said, hurt more than what I did? It’s because he knew I’d do that. It wasn’t sudden like yours was. It hurt more because he cared more. He cares about you. I wasn’t his friend when I attacked him. You were.”

Liam brushed a hand through his hair in what looked like desperation. She couldn’t believe she was going to say this, but she actually felt sorry for him. He might be an idiot, but Liam did care. “What am I supposed to do? I don’t know how to fix this.”

He sounded so pitiful, that she finally caved.  
“Look, he’s not just going to accept an ‘I’m sorry’. Not for this. If you really want to make it up to him, you have to show Theo you’re serious. You have to assure him it won’t happen again.”

“How do I _do_ that?”  
“Don’t tell him. _Show_ him. Make sure it’s just the two of you. Theo will probably kill you, if you do anything in front of the Pack.” The last thing Theo would want, is to make a big deal out of this in front of everyone. He hated the attention. Liam seemed to understand. She was sure he’d already known, but she had to make sure.

“Just don’t let it go. Don’t let him push you away.”  
Liam nodded solemnly; overwhelmed by the situation at hand. Unfortunately for Liam, she wasn’t quite done.  
“Liam.” He had already opened the door and was ready to leave, so he was confused when she called. “If you do anything to hurt Theo again, you’ll have more than Theo ignoring you to worry about.”

Liam yelped and nodded frantically, before practically _fleeing_ the house. Good. If he was scared of what she’d do, Liam might actually think before he speaks. She just hoped they resolved this.


	32. Liam

This had to be perfect. He couldn’t afford anything going wrong. His mum had been a vital part of planning this. Without her, he would probably still be staring at a blank page. Don’t ask how he was. It wasn’t pretty. The stress had gotten the better of him, and his room was completely trashed.

His mum had walked into a war zone. Quite literally. He was wrestling with the lost clothes, long since abandoned to the depths of his closet. When he tried to pull them out, they somehow became snared in the drawer railing. Wedged between the drawer and the metal slider beneath, they were stuck.

Let’s just say, screaming at your old clothes for being ‘obsessive and idiotic’, wasn’t a good look. Nor did it make proving you weren’t losing your mind an easy feat. It had taken a lot of convincing, to talk his mum out of hiring a counsellor. Even then, he was sure if he provided even the slightest reason, she’d be on the phone before he could so much as blink.

In the end, she helped create the perfect plan to win Theo over. Not that he was trying to buy Theo... He wasn’t suggesting... Theo’s not a prize! On second thought, he might be losing his mind, after all. Deep breaths. It’s going to be fine. All he had to do was pull it off. Nothing could go wrong. _Nothing_.  
He could do this. It’ll be fine.

If this didn’t work, he didn’t know what would.


	33. Theo

One night. What he’d do for just _one night_ of uninterrupted sleep. It wasn’t the deputies disturbing him this time. No, they haven’t found him once since he left Liam’s. His parking spots had become almost untraceable. Off the main road. Hidden behind trees. Out of reach of passing headlights. He couldn’t be seen by anyone driving past, and there was no reason to look here.

It wasn’t even the nightmares. He couldn’t blame the fear and his racing heart for keeping him awake. He had, touch wood, not had a single nightmare in weeks. He hadn’t had one since before he left Liam’s. He’d expected them to return after he went back to sleeping in his truck, but they hadn’t. It was the one positive to come out of this.

No. His current lack of sleep could be attributed to only one factor. The sleeping arrangements. His back was in constant knots. It felt like sleeping on a bed of bricks. There was nothing forgiving about his truck seats. They provided no softness; no mercy. It left him completely straight; muscles taut and stiff. It was impossible to relax.

If that wasn’t enough to impede on gaining a full night’s sleep, there was the cold. It seemed to be colder than he could remember. He could feel the chill in his bones; so much so that the blanket had no effect. It didn’t do a lot to begin with, but now it was completely useless. Despite that, he held it as close as possible.

It was early morning, (he’d been up since well before the sun), when he received a text. Fishing his phone out from the footwell where it had fallen, he noticed the time. _Five_ _in the morning_. Who would be up this early? Who was _texting him_ this early?

It took all of a second to receive an answer. The name appeared on screen along with the notification. He stifled a groan by sheer willpower. He might be alone, but he didn’t want to admit this was happening. Not that he could deny it. Not the proof was staring him straight in the eye.  
Liam.  
It was _always_ Liam.

He had been trying to get over his feelings for the beta, but nothing was working. If anything, they were stronger than ever. His heart ached to return, to accept Liam’s apology, but he couldn’t. Of all the comments Liam could have made, that’s what the beta chose. Regardless, his heart wanted what it wanted, and he had to practically restrain himself from tracking Liam down.

Scanning the text, he sighed.  
 _To Theo:_  
 _Meet at my house._  
Descriptive as ever. He shouldn’t go. This had to be another attempt at an apology. He was still actively avoiding the beta’s attempts to find him. Surely, that’s what this was about? But, what if he was wrong? What if this was something else? What if it were about the Pack?

For all he knew, something had happened. There could have been another attack over night. What if someone was hurt? What if they were... No. no, he couldn’t think like that. They weren’t hurt. They weren’t _dead_. If they were, he’d have heard already. He’d have received more than a single text from Liam.  
The sooner he got this over with, the sooner he could move on.

~

Liam was waiting outside when he arrived. Well, there goes preparing himself for whatever was awaiting him inside those walls. The uncomfortable itch that had settled in his bones, increased with a vengeance at the sight. A few steps. That’s all it would take to be back inside. Back in the warmth. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t give in to the temptation.  
Here goes nothing.

Stepping out into the brisk morning air, he fought to hold off the encroaching shiver. He’d be damned before he let it show.  
“What do you want?” Short and to the point. It was the best he could offer. He wasn’t prepared to be outright hostile, but a civil approach was too much. The click of his truck’s lock served as a bitter reminder of where he was. Of the obstacle between him and his swift departure.

“I want to show you something.”  
Liam sounded hopeful and anxious. As if this were an important moment. He wasn’t sure he could go through with this. This house held too many memories. It carried endless reminders of happier times. Going inside might be the final straw. It could very well be his breaking point.  
“If this is another apology, can we just skip to the end?”  
“No.”

Clearly, this wasn’t a matter of choice. Steeling his nerves, he trudged past the beta (who was oddly quiet), and over to the door. He waited for Liam to open it, before reluctantly entering. As soon as he did, he was hit with the enticing scent. It was everywhere, filling the entire space.  
Moonflower and Toltec Sundial.  
His two favourite flowers.

He didn’t understand why he could smell them here, though. That is, until Liam directed him to the lounge... which was currently filled with the irresistibly beautiful fuel low and white flowers. It was a breathtaking sight. They only flowered at night, which must have been the reason for the early call.

It wasn’t until a moment later, that he registered the music playing softly in the background. It was a miracle he didn’t hear it to begin with, or rather, an overwhelming distraction.  
‘Heal’ by Tom Odell.

It had to be the one song he related to the most. It fit his life perfectly, as though it were written for him, or, at least, with him in mind. Liam had to have heard it while he was staying here. It wasn’t that surprising. He played the song incessantly. What _did_ surprise him, was the fact Liam remembered. Not to mention the effort Liam had put into this.

“How did you know?” He cast a softened glance at Liam. There was a sad smile. One that made his own heart ache.  
“You play this song all the time, so I figured it meant something, and the lyrics blended with the context for why you’re here. As for the flowers... well, I saw you looking at them in the Preserve the other day. I saw the awe and excitement in your eyes. I noticed the way you slowed down to see them.”

Liam saw that? He had no idea. It was more than he’d thought possible. He’d always thought no one noticed what he did. Liam probably knew him the best, but he didn’t know how much. It wasn’t like he’d been overly obvious in his interest. Subtle or not, Liam had, in fact, noticed.  
“You-you saw that?”

“Yeah.” Liam’s smile morphed into a shy one. It was unfair how easily the beta pulled at his heartstrings. Liam didn’t even try. “I couldn’t have missed the warm, sweet smile you had. It was nice to see you enjoying yourself. It was such a common scene for me, but you loved the it.

He felt the light blush rising under his skin, tinting his cheeks and ears. This wasn’t something he usually talked about. In fact, he never did. No one knew; not even Scott and Stiles.  
“I, uh- I’ve always been interested in flowers.”  
“I can see why.”  
“What, uh- why are you doing this?”  
A wave of sadness swept through the room, altering that smile with it. “I wanted to make up for what I... I’m so sorry, Theo. I never should have said that.”

He swallowed hard; the lump refusing to ease. No. No, he wasn’t going to cry. _He wasn’t_...  
“Theo. Did I do something wrong?” The instant concern from Liam, only increased the tears.  
All he could do was shake his head. He didn’t trust his voice. Not yet.  
“Then why-”  
“Thank you.” He laughed when Liam’s eyes narrowed in confusion. “For this. All of this. The time, the effort... caring enough to do it.”

That eased the worry. He was relieved to see the beta smile, unhindered and free. He couldn’t help but mirror it.  
“I’m sorry. For not forgiving you sooner. I just- I just didn’t know what to do.”  
“It’s okay. I didn’t make it easy on you. You had every right to be angry.”  
How was Liam so understanding? He’d ignored him, and yet Liam still wanted to make him feel better.  
“This is for you.”

There was a small card in Liam’s hand, and it was held out in his direction. Taking it, the first part he noticed was that it was handwritten. Even and neat. The complete opposite of Liam’s handwriting, and yet, here it was. The beta must have put a lot of time into making this legible.

Next, he realised what the front cover said.  
 _‘I’m sorry for speaking without using my (very tiny) brain.’_  
Snorting lightly at the brackets, he opened the card to find an incredibly heartfelt message. One which, once again, left him speechless. He couldn’t hold the tears back, and he was, simply put, an emotional wreck. It was beautiful. He had no idea what to say, so he decided to take a page out of Liam’s book.

Wordlessly, he stepped forward. Before either of them could do more than blink, his arms were wrapped around Liam. It felt so good to be this close. To be held in that strong, warm grasp. He was in love, and since this was likely the last time he’d get to do this, he’d savour every second of it.  
He wouldn’t give this up.

He was foolish to think he could.


	34. Jenna

She’d returned from work to find a room full of flowers. Apart from that, the house was as she’d left it, with the exception of a missing Liam. With the overwhelming, yet stunning array of colours, she almost missed the note resting on the table.  
 _Mum,  
I’m out with Theo. I’ll be back tonight.  
Don’t worry about dinner.  
Liam._

She couldn’t be more relieved. The fact they were together, meant Theo had forgiven Liam. In which case, Liam had successfully managed to make up for his idiotic word choice. She still couldn’t believe he’d stooped that low. Yes, she understood his IED reduced his control, but to say something so harsh... well, at least he’d fixed it.

Hopefully, now everything could go back to normal.


	35. Malia

This had better be good.  
It was nine in the morning, and instead of sleeping, she was standing in Scott’s hallway. He’d called her down under the guise she had a visitor. Okay, so maybe that was true. He didn’t however, tell her who it was. Theo and Liam were waiting when she got there, and it was too early for this. She didn’t know what they could possibly want, but either way, she just wanted to go back to bed.

“What is it?” If she was a little harsh, too bad. She was tired.  
“Well, good morning to you, too.” Theo grinned. It was a sight she was slowly getting used to. He was a lot more open, at least in regards to his smile. Not so much when it came to sensitive or personal topics, but he seemed to be working on it.  
“I’m not in the mood, Theo.”

“Okay, I get it. I promise you’ll be happy we came, though.”  
“Why?” She wasn’t convinced anything could justify dragging her downstairs so early.  
“We called Belladonna.”  
Three words. They sounded so simple, and yet, they left her heart racing. If they’d called, then that meant...  
“Are you-”

“Yes. She’s coming to remove the curses.” Theo’s grin softened; taking on a lighter, understanding tone.  
It was finally here. She was finally going to be herself again. What could she say? There was no way to express what she was thinking. The fact Theo was willing to speak on her behalf, to push for her freedom, spoke volumes. He had truely forgiven her for everything she’d done to him.

Of course, Theo wasn’t the only one who had to agree. There was also Liam. She glanced at the beta for a moment, but Liam seemed to know exactly what she was thinking.

“I’ll say yes, Malia. I’ll tell Belladonna I want her to remove your curses. I want to help.”  
Oh, thank goodness.  
“Look, I...” She watched as Liam shifted from one foot to the other. Even without her enhanced senses, she could tell he was nervous. It was as obvious as the fact they were at Scott’s. It didn’t take a genius to figure that out. “I’m sorry.”

Okay. That’s definitely not what she thought Liam would say next. Honestly, she wasn’t entirely sure what this was about.  
“Why?”  
“I never should have treated you like I did. You didn’t deserve to be in that position. You didn’t deserve to be obligated to follow everything I and my parents said.”

Oh. So that’s what this was. He was finally apologising. She knew he owed her one, but at the same time, she was strangely surprised. Not because she didn’t think Liam would, (okay, maybe in part), but mostly because she had caused it.

“I really am sorry, Malia. I had no right to put you through that. I also need to thank you. For helping me fix things with Theo. The sooner we resolve this, the better.”  
“Thank you.” It wasn’t much, but it was all she had, right now. It would have to do; at least until she could find a way to repay them.  
She was pulled out of her trance by the sound of someone knocking. When Theo opened the door, she was there. Belladonna was as powerful as she remembered. Although, she hadn’t wanted to admit that at the warehouse, she couldn’t deny it now. She took a step back as she came inside, and while she knew both Liam and Theo had seen, they kindly remained silent.

This was it. She was finally going to be herself again.

“I hear you wish to be released from your curse.”  
Why did Belladonna have to be so cold about it? A little feeling would be nice. Something to show she wasn’t talking to a witch, who couldn’t care less about her.  
“I do.”  
“Do you agree, Theo?”

“Yes.” Theo responded instantly, with no hesitation. “It’s time.”  
“Do you agree, Liam?”  
She glanced over, more than a little nervous to hear his answer. She wasn’t entirely convinced he would keep his word. What if all of this was a joke? What if Liam was only pretending? What if Belladonna left without freeing her?

“I agree.” Liam stated it clear and matter-of-fact. She could however, hear the emotion behind those words. He offered her a brief nod of reassurance before continuing. “Malia has been through enough. More than enough. It’s time we let her get back to her life. It’s time we stopped punishing her.”

It was quiet. _Too_ quiet. Belladonna stood there silently. She didn’t say so much as a yes. Not even a simple refusal. There was no way to figure out what Belladonna was thinking. Instead, she just had to wait... and hope. She _really_ didn’t want to be stuck like this. She just wanted to be herself again.

“It would appear you have convinced the two who held your freedom in their hands.”  
She didn’t know how to respond. Was that good? She couldn’t tell what was coming. She was completely in the dark.  
“I myself, am not entirely convinced. I fear you have persuaded my friends to speak against their better judgement.”

No. Oh, please no. This can’t be it. This can’t be the way it ends. Belladonna _can’t_ say no.  
“Belladonna, we mean it. Malia isn’t forcing us to say anything. She didn’t even know we’d called you, until a few minutes ago.” Theo came to her aid. As much as she appreciated it, she wasn’t sure it would be enough.  
“Ignorance does not excuse her actions. She may have swayed your decision over the course of her punishment. I must be sure, before I permit her leniency.”

Why did it have to be so hard? Was this how Theo felt? Belladonna definitely wasn’t an easy woman to appease. She could only imagine what it had been like for Theo. Trying to convince her to turn him back must have been extremely nerve wracking. As it was, she could barely contain her own nerves.

In the blink of an eye, Theo was standing beside her. It wasn’t what she’d expected. This was more kindness than she would have thought possible. A moment later, Liam was at her other side. They stood close; with their arms leaning against hers, she felt her breath come a little easier. Their presence eased some of the growing tension.

“Please. I... I just want to be myself again. I’m not planning anything. I’m not manipulating them.” She needed to prove she didn’t mean Theo any more harm, but she didn’t know how. What was she supposed to say?  
“Your word does not hold the truth. I require absolute honesty. It cannot be obtained through mere speech. It demands the concrete sincerity which can only be obtained from your heart.”

She didn’t like the sound of that. There was no telling what Belladonna had in mind. No one had a chance to ask, though. Before they could do anything, a ray of light radiated from Belladonna’s hands. It connected with her chest, trailing deeper with every passing second.

Its presence was cold. Unnatural. It felt like someone pulling her apart from the inside. It didn’t hurt. Not in regards to physical pain. It did however, elicit unwanted emotions. Ones she didn’t even understand. She didn’t know why she felt grief or loneliness. She didn’t know why what she felt kept changing every few seconds.

Belladonna’s eyes were closed. Her lips were moving, but her words were silent. A spell. She was casting a spell. It didn’t feel like a positive one, either. She wasn’t sure she’d like the outcome.  
“Don’t just stand there. Do something!” She was practically screeching, but she couldn’t help it. This was eerily familiar. It felt too much like that night at the warehouse for comfort.

“We can’t.” Theo sounded apologetic, but it didn’t change the hurt his words inflicted.  
“Why not?” Her control was almost nonexistent. Grinding her teeth hard enough to risk cracking them in half, was the only way to prevent the whine lodged in her throat.

“It’s not that we don’t want to. I swear, if I could I would. It’s not that simple, though. If we intervene, we could make it worse.”  
 _Worse? How could it be worse?_  
“Theo’s right, Malia.” Liam informed her. “If we stop the intended spell, it could cause unknown side effects.

Breathe. Just _breathe_. She _can’t_ do this. She just _can’t_ handle another curse. She felt Theo’s hand slip into hers, and Liam’s followed a second later. It’s okay. She wasn’t alone. _She wasn’t alone._  
Finally, the light disappeared, and that deathly cold feeling of magic slowly faded. It was a massive relief to be free of that disturbing sensation. Belladonna’s eyes opened, and she was met with an intense stare. She didn’t want to know what came next.

“I have seen into your heart.”  
Six words. They shouldn’t scare her as much as they did. She just couldn’t help the way she felt powerless, under the weight of that icy gaze. She couldn’t even begin to form a response.  
“What does that mean?” Theo asked for her.  
“The spell I cast, permits me a look at the internal. It presents the undeniable truth. I examined Malia’s heart for her true intentions, her true thoughts. I saw the root of her struggles, her inner turmoil.”

What was that supposed to mean? Why can’t Belladonna make any sense? She didn’t realise she’d spoken aloud, until she noticed the narrowed gaze directed at her. She swallowed hard, suddenly afraid all over again.  
“Your inability to comprehend my meaning, is not representative of my ability to express my thoughts. In answer to your question, in short, I witnessed the cause of your pain. You suffered a great lose, at such a young age. I offer you my greatest sympathies.”

Kiley. Her family. Belladonna knew, but how? How could she possibly know about that day?  
“How do you-”  
“The spell allowed me to see your thoughts in a sense. It opened a doorway to your true feelings and intentions.”  
No. This was not happening. She hadn’t... _No_.

This was too much. Too personal. Theo squeezed her hand, and she knew he understood. One look told her he wasn’t happy, either.  
“Is that why I felt so many different emotions?”

“The spell invokes feelings linked to the various truths. As I called forth particular thoughts, you once more felt the same emotions as you did when the thoughts were fresh.”  
So, that’s why the grief and loneliness were so strong. Belladonna had found her feelings for her family. To say she was angry wouldn’t do it justice. She was _furious_.  
“You had _no_ right!”

“I assure you, I meant no harm.”  
“That doesn’t give you the right to dig through my heart! It’s not there for your amusement! It’s not there for you to look through it! It’s personal and private!”  
“I assure you, I did not indulge any more than the situation necessitated. I merely sought answers to your intentions toward Theo and Liam. The rest remains untouched.”  
All except for her family. That was apparently in the way. How convenient.

“Belladonna.” Theo’s voice was tight. It wasn’t hard to tell he was offended on her behalf. “You can’t just dig through someone’s private thoughts like that.”  
“The situation required as much.”  
“No. You made a decision. Don’t downplay your responsibility. No matter your reasons, you should have asked. You should have given Malia a warning. She deserved a choice in the matter.”

“I have already made myself clear. I did not bear any ill-will whilst examining Malia’s heart. I did not inspect any of which did not hold direct relevance.”  
“You still invaded her privacy. Imagine if someone did that to you. What if it were me?”  
That seemed to get through to her. A layer of certainty fell away, and Belladonna actually appeared to consider Theo’s words. Soon, she saw what looked like regret surface.

“You are correct. I should indeed have forewarned Malia. I should have permitted her the respect of deciding for herself. For my failure to do so, I apologise.”  
Well, that’s something.  
“I am however, certain you will covet the outcome of my search.”

Wait, did that mean...  
“It is clear you desire not to harm Theo, but merely freedom from your punishment. As such, I shall grant you said freedom.”  
Oh, thank goodness. She couldn’t describe how relieved she was.  
“Now, please stay still.”

That was the only warning she received. The next moment, she was once again encircled by a wave of light. Only this time, it wasn’t as uncomfortable as the first. It was also over a lot sooner.  
Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes (having closed them during the spell), and looked down. The sight she was met with left her breathless. It was her body. _Her_ body. She was free. _She was free._

“Thank you.” Her voice was breathy, but it was true, and she needed to say it.  
Belladonna smiled. She wasn’t sure she had really seen it, until Theo smiled back.  
“I am delighted to see you have changed your ways. I hope from here on out, we can build upon our relationship, and that it shall thrive.”

So did she. She really didn’t want to be on Belladonna’s bad side.  
“It is time I made my way out. I pray the next time we meet is on better circumstances.”  
I think they could all agree on that.

Once Belladonna had left, she let out a breath. She didn’t realise she was holding it in, until she felt the air return to her lungs. It was finally over. She could finally go back to her life. This would hopefully be the evidence Scott needed to forgive her. He had already started. She knew that, but it didn’t change the fact they weren’t together.

All she wanted now, was to go back to how they were. To before Scott broke up with her.  
She might already have her answer. Before she registered what was happening, she was in the air and being spun around. Scott had heard everything. He was here. He was happy. He was hugging her.

Maybe they were closer to being their old selves, than she’d thought.


	36. Theo

This time, they were at Liam’s.  
Another Pack meeting. Another round of bonding. This attempt however, went a lot better than the first. He and Liam were talking again, which in turn, resolved the tension between Liam, Corey and Mason. Stiles and Malia had started to rebuild their own friendship, and Scott seemed ready to mend his relationship with Malia.

It helped that she was once again free of being cursed. The fact, he and Malia were on relatively good terms, was also beneficial. It was about time they got back to being happy.

The night begun similar in regards to entertainment. Board games and the expectant disgruntled Liam. It was funny watching how worked up the beta got. Losing was certainly not Liam’s strong suit.  
After the fourth broken ornament and decoration, Jenna had demanded they change activities. That’s how they came to play ‘Truth or Dare’. Trust Stiles to think of something so juvenile and potentially embarrassing.

One round in, and Mason had already admitted to a crush on Donald Duck. Granted, it was when Mason was five, but that didn’t matter to Stiles. Nor did it stop the Pack from laughing. Liam had known, of course, but had smiled, nonetheless.  
“Alright, Liam. You’re turn.” Mason grinned, and it sent a shiver down his spine. Whatever Mason had planned, it would no doubt be just as embarrassing for Liam.

After careful consideration, the beta spoke. “Dare.”  
“Are you sure, Liam?” He wasn’t sure that was such a good idea. Not given the way that grin turned manic.  
“I’m sure, Theo. There’s no way I’m risking truth. Not with Mason’s knowledge. Besides, how bad could it be?”

Oh, no. Now he _knew_ Liam would regret this. Everyone knew you don’t ask that. It was possibly the worst thing you could say. His concern was confirmed when Mason laughed.

“I dare you to re-enact the shirt incident.”  
To say Liam’s eyes widened, didn’t do the expression he witnessed justice. It looked as though they were about to fall out.  
“ _Mason_.”  
“Don’t hiss at me, Liam. You didn’t hide your enjoyment, so why should I?”  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, please. Just because you didn’t laugh, doesn’t mean you weren’t amused. I saw you smiling.”  
“Hey, that crush was hilarious. I told you as much when we were younger.” Liam was desperately trying to talk his way out of this. He’d come to know Mason, though, and he knew there was no escape.  
“Not as much as you with that shirt. Oh, and don’t think I don’t know you remember _exactly_ what happened. Stiles told me about the video.”

Oops.  
Liam was thankfully glaring at Stiles, and not him. It was a massive relief. Especially given how strong it was. Of course, that didn’t appear to bother Stiles.  
“Hey, don’t look at me. This is between you two.”  
“ _Why_ would you tell him?”

Stiles just laughed. “It’s not like he didn’t already know. I had to talk to someone, and it’s not like I told the entire Pack.”  
“You’re right. That would be Mason.” The glare shifted to where the human was sitting, but it still had no effect. Mason’s grin never even slipped.  
“You brought this on yourself, Liam. Now, get on with it.”

After several minutes of trying to get out of this, Liam finally gave up. Reluctantly, Liam stood up and performed everything. From start to finish. The Pack were in hysterics. He was desperately fighting a smile of his own. It wouldn’t go down well.

“Okay, okay. Scott. Truth or dare?”  
Liam sat down, cheeks red and practically begging for an out. The Pack allowed it, and the game continued. Stiles’ eyes seemed fixed on him, but he refused to look. He knew what Stiles was thinking. He didn’t need to be reminded about the fact, it had been his shirt. He’d said it before, and nothing had changed. It didn’t mean anything. It was nothing more than a coincidence.

He’d gotten off lightly, so far. They were ten rounds in, and so far, he’d made it through unscathed. No one knew what to ask when he picked truth. The results were basic and uninteresting. The equivalent to Stiles asking if he had a diary.

It was the same with his dares. Apparently, everyone thought he’d be embarrassed by having to remove his shirt. The rest weren’t much different. Considering he’d never had a problem walking around shirtless, he didn’t understand their reasoning.

He had worked hard for his body. It was something he’d grown used to having at his disposal, one way or another. There had always been something, from the heart damage as a child to the experimentations. He wasn’t proud of how he’d obtained it, but he was proud of what he’d done to maintain it. After he came back, of course.

It was his, and he wasn’t ashamed of showing that off. Not as long as he was in control of what it looked like. With no curse to alter it, he had nothing to hide.

He wasn’t so lucky during the eleventh round.  
It was Stiles who brought it up, (surprise, surprise). He should have known. Stiles had a lot of information on him from their childhood. Information he wasn’t particularly interested in sharing. It wasn’t that simple, though. It wasn’t any random fact; it was a specific one. Of all the things Stiles could have chosen, it had to be this.

If only he could go back and choose dare.  
“Well, Theo? Are you going to answer or not?”  
He levelled Stiles with a glare. He was met with a look of pure joy. They might be friends again, but that didn’t change who Stiles was. A tiger never changes their stripes.  
The old saying could be applied to both him and Stiles. They were both known for teasing each other, and that wasn’t going to stop now. There was no way Stiles would go easy on him.

“No.”  
“You know the rules, Theo. Answer the question.” Stiles was enjoying this way too much.  
“Come on, Theo. We all had to. It’s your turn.” Mason’s input (and grin) were not appreciated.  
Breathe. Just breathe. Maybe if he said it quickly, they’d let him off... or maybe he was dreaming. There was _no way_ the Pack wouldn’t laugh.

“I had a crush.”  
“Yes, Theo. We’ve established that.”  
Why did he think Stiles would go easy on him?  
“I was _eight_.”  
“We’re waiting.”  
“Damn it, Stiles. Do I really have to say it?”  
“Yes. Now, stop stalling and answer already.”

Close your eyes. Just get it over with. Letting out a deep breath, he braced himself for the response.  
“Casper.”  
It took a moment, but he heard it, nonetheless. The laughter was loud and constant. It was a sure way to set off the raging blush, and he just knew it was there.  
“You liked a ghost?” Malia was loving this. He didn’t appreciate her smirk.

“No. I liked the person who _played_ Casper.”  
Her smirk only grew.  
“You do realise he’s a _ghost_ , right? A floating white ghost? He’s not a real person.”  
The increased snickers surrounding him sparked a fresh wave of heat, which crept slowly down his neck.  
“In the original movie, he was human for a few hours. I liked Devon Sawa; the actor who played him.” He wouldn’t let them make this out, to be something it’s not.

The Pack continued to laugh and tease him, whilst he did his best to ignore it. He wouldn’t give them any more fuel. Once the flames finally died down, it was his turn. Payback time.  
“Truth or dare, Stiles?”  
“You’re not going to trick me, Theo. I’m not giving you the chance to ask me anything. Dare.” Stiles was as cocky, as ever. Only he was counting on Stiles choosing dare. His smile was unsettling. At least, it was for Stiles.

“Why are you smiling? Theo. Why are you smiling?”  
“I dare you to let Lydia give you a makeover.”  
Oh, the look on Stiles’ face. All colour drained in an instant. The deep swallow. The wide eyes. So, worth it.  
“Theo...”  
“You know the rules, Stiles.”  
“Oh, come on.” Stiles was practically begging.  
He couldn’t help but smirk. It didn’t help that Lydia had already left the room, in search of her supplies. It was a known fact, she had been trying to convince Stiles to test a few techniques.  
“We’re waiting, Stiles.”

When he heard the resigned sigh, he laughed. It only got better when Lydia returned with an entire make up kit. She was nothing if not prepared.  
The outcome was better than he’d expected. It actually suited Stiles. Lydia, true to herself, didn’t go overboard. There was a light coating of red lipstick and blue eyeshadow. It really didn’t look that bad.

Of course, Stiles threw a cushion at him when he said as much.  
“I hope you know, I’ll get you back for this.”  
“Don’t be a sore loser, Stiles. It’s just how the game works.”  
“Oh, please. You’re loving this.”  
He laughed at the pitiful attempt at a glare. It might have held some weight, were it not for the intense blush. “No more than you enjoyed embarrassing me.”

He forgot how fun it was messing with Stiles. It felt like they were finally getting back to how it used to be. It had been better for a little while now, but this was the first time he’d truely felt like they had their friendship back. The same friendship from all those years ago.

The rest of the night went well. Laughing with the Pack. Messing around with Stiles and Scott. Talking about the situations they’d found themselves in. The times they’d had to talk their way out of the Sheriff’s office.  
Surprisingly, it wasn’t always Stiles leading the ill-thought out plans. More often than not, it was him. Scott followed to make sure nothing went wrong, or at least, as much as possible.  
It was hilarious to think of everything they’d done together.

“Oh! Don’t forget the time you convinced our old neighbours that you were a prince!”  
Stiles’ excitement was infectious, but the smile on Scott’s face was priceless. That had been one of the best moments of his childhood. It was definitely the most memorable story.

“How did you manage that?” Liam was so confused, and he just had to laugh. It was all too much.  
“Honestly, I don’t know. I can’t remember what I said. I just remember their faces. They were so flustered. Scott’s neighbour, Mr. Pillsbury had the best reaction. He stood there, sputtering nonsense about royalty and customs. He even bowed.”

He nudged Scott, who smiled back. They had continued to charade until Melissa found out. Let’s just say, she wasn’t impressed. The three of them had to do all of Mr. Pillsbury’s yard work and chores for three months, as an apology for the deception. Despite that, they couldn’t stop laughing. That is, until Malia spoke.  
“You like Scott.”  
His head snapped up, fast enough to give him whiplash. Her gaze was narrowed, her shoulders tense.  
“What?” It came out choked and filled with disbelief.

“You heard me.” Her glare only deepened with his lack of acknowledgment.  
“Have you lost your mind?!”  
“It’s obvious, Theo.”  
“This is _ridiculous_!”  
Malia crossed her arms, refusing to back down. All eyes were on him, and he was squirming under the weight of the Pack’s attention.

“Do you?” Liam asked, as if this wasn’t unbearably embarrassing.  
“No!”  
“Theo-”  
“I _don’t_ like Scott!”  
That’s when Mason decided to chip in. “You do seem overly enthusiastic, Theo. It seems like more than fond memories of an old friendship.”  
Oh, for the love of... please let it end. Why did everyone think he liked Scott and Stiles?  
Malia let out a low growl. His eyes widened at the predatory look in her gaze. They might be mending their relationship, but that didn’t mean she would accept anything. Right now, that meant him trying to take Scott from her. As ridiculous as this was, she thought it was true.

How was this his life?  
“Malia, I _swear._ I don’t.”  
She watched him for a few moments, seemingly deciding whether or not she believed him. Finally, she loosened her grip and let her arms fall.

”“I’m warning you, Theo. If you try anything...”  
He choked on air again. The implication... he just _knew_ that he was completely red by now. Scott wasn’t faring much better. Stiles, on the other hand, was having the time of his life watching his embarrassment.  
“I’m not going to do anything. For goodness sakes, what part of _I don’t like Scott_ , don’t you people understand?!”  
Thankfully, Malia finally appeared to trust him. The Pack... well, he just hoped they’d let it go.

There was something that still bothered him, or more accurately, confused him, though. He met Liam’s scrutiny, and the words just fell out.  
“Why do you care?”  
“What?” Okay. So, he could understand why Liam might be confused by the sudden question. Give him a break. Everything was occurring so fast, he barely had any time to think.

“I understand why Malia wanted to know, but why do you care so much?”  
“I just didn’t realise you had feelings for Scott.”  
Oh, for the...  
“Liam, I _don’t_ like Scott. How many times do I need to tell you?”  
If they didn’t stop this soon, Malia might _actually_ kill him. Truce or no truce, her pride in this particular circumstance, might just prove too much. He’d like to think she wouldn’t, though. Even if she wanted to.

“Why are you so-” Suddenly, he realised what this was about. It hit him hard, and it took his breath with it. “I can’t believe it.”  
“What?”  
“How didn’t I see this?” He should have known. He should have seen the signs.  
“Theo?”  
“You like Scott.” His heart dropped as he voiced the thought, and he fought desperately to cover it.

Liam seemed to choke on air; not so different to his own display.  
“ _No!_ I don’t- what are you- _no_! Just _no!_ I do _not_ like Scott!”  
“Then why-”  
“I was just _asking_!”

Liam was telling the truth. It was obvious. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t grateful. He really didn’t want to deal with a love triangle between Liam and Malia. Especially not when it was over Scott, and he had to watch Liam’s interest in someone else.

Okay. That’s it. There was only so much he could handle for one night. Dismissing himself, he took his leave. The others followed his lead, and made their way out to their own cars. Scott appeared just as desperate to leave, whereas Stiles probably wanted to continue the discussion. Liam joined him; seeing as he had somehow become the designated driver.  
Not that he was complaining. Strangely, it wasn’t as awkward as he’d thought it would be. It felt like it always did. Comfortable and normal.

He never wanted it to end.


	37. Liam

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, we made it. This is the final chapter of ‘Revenge Is A Dish Best Served Cold’. I hope y’all are enjoying the story, so far, and that it is progressing well. 😄
> 
> I will post the next Part soon. I am already working on the first chapters, so it shouldn’t be long. 😄🤞
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has read, liked and commented up to this point. I appreciate the encouragement and support you’ve all given me. I appreciate all the help and ideas I have gained through your comments. I can’t wait to bring you Part 5. 😄
> 
> Well, without further ado, here we go. 🥳

He’d been lying in bed for the past two hours.  
He couldn’t get Theo’s question out of his mind. More so, now that he didn’t have anything to distract him.  
 _Why do you care?_  
That’s just it. Why _did_ he care?

At first, he’d thought it was curiosity. He’d told Theo he was just asking, and he had thought he was. There wasn’t supposed to be anything to it. Theo deserved to find someone. Of course, if he had liked Scott, there would have been more than a few problems. Namely Malia’s anger, and he was pretty sure Scott didn’t feel the same.

It was good Theo didn’t like Scott. It was easier this way. He wanted Theo to be happy, not heartbroken. There would be someone. Someone that Theo liked and who would like him back. Someone who would love Theo, no matter what.  
It was only fair. After everything Theo had been through, it was only fair that someone showed him kindness and love. It was long overdue, if you asked him. He wanted that for Theo.

So then, why did he feel sick at the thought of Theo dating? Why did his chest tighten at the idea of Theo in love? Why did he want to scream at the image of Theo kissing someone?

The thought kept spinning around, sending him into a spiral. His mind kept repeating the same four words. Over and over again. It refused to leave him alone, until he figured it out. Until he found the answer. The problem was, he had no idea what that was.

If he wanted Theo to be happy, and he wanted Theo to be shown love and kindness, why did it bother him so much? If he wanted someone to show Theo all of that...  
If he wanted someone to show Theo...  
If he wanted... Theo...  
If he wanted Theo...

He shot up as if he’d been electrocuted. Heart racing, a new thought lodged itself in his mind, and refused to move. It wasn’t spinning. It wasn’t repeating. It just sat there at the forefront of his mind. He couldn’t shake it. He couldn’t make it leave. Oh, no. It refused to be ignored. It refused to be forgotten.  
Three words which left him frozen.  
Three words which changed everything.

_He wanted Theo._


End file.
